You Never Know How Strong You Are
by CrohnieReader
Summary: … until being strong is the only choice you have. Moving into the Bellas' House in her second year of college should be exciting and fun for Beca, right? But when the thing she's been hiding from everyone since the beginning of freshman year makes a reappearance, bringing with it a great deal of suffering, it makes life a little more complicated. (*I do not own Pitch Perfect*)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey people, I'm back with the longer (and slightly altered) version of my one-shot story (Uncovered Secrets). This chapter is more of an introductory thing I guess, but hopefully it is interesting enough :)**

 **A HUUUUGEEEE thank you to iamacrepe for all your help!**

 **Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

"Chlo, can you pay attention for a sec?"

"Sure Becs, you have my full attention", the redhead responded, as she turned around to face her best friend.

"Thanks. So I have one rule about sharing a room, and that is no going through my drawers. If you break that rule, no matter how much I love you, I swear I _will_ never talk to you again. Cool?"

Beca watched as Chloe's eyes widened in shock at her last comment.

Despite her tough exterior and badass persona, Beca had been softened by her friendship with Chloe. Not that this was a bad thing at all; however Beca couldn't believe how Chloe had managed to break through her walls to reveal her inner self, so easily it seemed. Well, _almost_ all of her walls.

Throughout the few months since winning their title at the ICCAs, over their break from college, Beca and Chloe had grown a lot closer as best friends. Especially with the both of their families living in Atlanta, where the two Bellas could remain in close proximity during the break. Whilst everyone else made the journey home for the holidays, these two caught up quite regularly for coffee or sleepovers in their dorms.

Chloe had indeed been correct in her proclamation of their becoming 'fast friends'. Beca liked to joke that she had no choice in the matter, thanks to Chloe's outgoing personality and skills of persuasion. Though they both knew that Beca was appreciative of Chloe's efforts. Not only did she have another awesome best friend now, but she had someone to hang out with over the break.

As of this day however, they no longer needed to have sleepovers, as they would be sharing a room in the new Bella house. In her last act as the Bellas captain before she graduated, Aubrey had fought hard for the Bellas to have their own house on campus, just as the Treblemakers had already somehow been given years ago.

As the two co-captains for the coming year, Beca and Chloe had the option to have their own rooms, however they were more than happy to share. And so when the day came that the Bella House was finally ready, the brunette and ginger had the first look at the house (it was still the holidays and no one else was back yet) and called shotgun on the one bedroom up in the attic, which had an ensuite bathroom and was slightly bigger than the rest of the bedrooms.

On this particular day, the two were just finishing up with unpacking their belongings and Chloe was truly surprised at Beca's threat to "never speak to her again" if she touched her stuff. For one, Beca couldn't go a day without talking to Chloe in some way – be it texting, calling, or seeing in person – as of late, and neither could Chloe for that matter. Secondly, Chloe thought they both trusted each other with virtually anything, and had shared many things about themselves with each other.

For instance, when Chloe was freaking out about the fact that she had indeed failed her classes so she could be a Bella for another year _("what was I thinking?")_ , she had confided in Beca, and the brunette to her credit had sat there and comforted her, reassuring her that there was nothing wrong with what she was doing, and at least she would get to spend the next year with an awesome group of girls.

And when Beca was pissed at her father after a disagreement they had had, Chloe calmed her down, and surprisingly, Beca had given her the full explanation of what they were arguing about, and how she was still a little sore on the fact that he had left her and her mom when she was a kid.

The tiny brunette even let Chloe use her headphones to listen to the mixes she shared with the redhead. But, she guessed, there were a few things about each other's lives that they did not yet know. Chloe herself was not someone that needed any privacy or deliberately hid anything from her friends, though she realised that not everyone was like that. It was a miracle Beca had let her in on her life so much already.

"Chlo?" Beca raised an eyebrow as she waited for an acknowledgement of her rule. A few moments had passed since the brunette had spoken, and she did not miss the glimmer of disappointment that flickered across her new roommate's face. Chloe was quite easy to read for the most part, which made it easier for Beca to catch things like this, despite her general social awkwardness. Beca understood that Chloe might be confused by the fact that she was blocking her out of something, but she really wasn't ready to reveal _everything_ about herself to the ginger. Especially not the one thing for which there was evidence of in one of her drawers.

At Beca's attempt of getting Chloe's attention, the older girl snapped out of her momentary shock and smiled genuinely at her new roommate.

"Yeah, no worries. I will stay out of your drawers. But I also have a rule for you." Chloe smirked, something she seemed to have picked up from the brunette.

 _This should be interesting,_ Beca thought, amused by the mischievous tone of voice the ginger was using. "Shoot."

"You can touch anything of mine you want" Chloe winked playfully at Beca, causing her to chuckle.

Both girls knew this was simply Chloe messing around; they had nothing romantic going on, and as far as they were aware, there were no romantic feelings at either side.

To anyone else, it would seem as though the pair was a couple, or at least would make a good couple, what with their closeness and how they acted around each other. However as fate would have it, only the two in question were completely oblivious to this. For now.

* * *

By the time the girls were finished unpacking and decorating the house with a few photos and what-not, it was late evening. Exhausted from all the moving, the two ordered pizza for dinner, not even considering cooking something in their worn out state.

The pizza was consumed in a comfortable silence, each girl savouring the taste of the deliciously cheesy goodness that is pizza, until Chloe spoke up.

"How awesome is this Beca?! We will be living together with the girls ALL year. We could be doing this every night." The ginger motioned between the two of them and their pizza.

"It beats rooming with Kimmy Jin, that's for sure." Beca agreed. "Though, as much as I love pizza, we probably shouldn't eat it _every_ night Chlo. For health or whatever."

"Hmm, I guess not." Chloe relented. Then suddenly, as if it had only just occurred to her, Chloe's head popped up to look Beca in the eyes, an exaggerated expression of shock filling her face. Beca was dumbfounded by this action, as confusion crept up her own face.

"What Chloe?"

Chloe seemed to have recovered from the 'shock' a bit. "You just said something responsible Beca Mitchell! What have you done with the badass who doesn't care?"

Chloe was smiling at this point, as she poked fun at her best friend.

Beca rolled her eyes. "You're hilarious." She deadpanned, her signature sarcasm coming out with ease, though she couldn't help a smile from showing up on her features at the goofiness that was Chloe.

The redhead laughed, giving a big grin. "I know."

Beca took on a semi-serious tone. "I'll have you know that I can be very responsible when it comes to eating healthily."

"Sure sure." The redhead threw back.

The memories of a time when Beca had to be very careful of what she ate – if she didn't want to suffer too much – flitted through the brunette's mind as she spoke.

"And it will be better for our performances as a group if we are all able to actually move around on stage without having to be rolled there."

Chloe took this into consideration. Her brows furrowed. "You make an excellent point, Mitchell."

"Yeah. Anyway, I'm going to go to bed now." Beca started to get up.

"Okay, I'll be up soon, I'll just take this" – Chloe gestured to the pizza box in her hand – "out to the garbage first."

* * *

When Beca finally reached their room, after climbing two sets of stairs, she went straight for her bottom drawer by her bed, grabbing a handful of pills from a pill case (one of those weekly organisers) and swallowed them, downing them with water straight after.

Ten minutes later when Chloe showed up for bed, there was no evidence in sight of what had just happened.

Both girls fell asleep almost immediately, with thoughts of the craziness that would soon come to the Bella house (in a few days) when the rest of the girls returned from vacation and moved in. The following year would be interesting, that was for sure.

Unfortunately for Beca, she was woken up a few hours later by some intense pains coming from her stomach. She made her way to the bathroom, hoping she wasn't right about what she thought was going on. But as she returned to bed ten minutes later, the short brunette was swearing internally. This was not happening. _This_ was _NOT_ happening. It couldn't happen. Not now. Not when she had just moved in with the Bellas, and was sharing a room with Chloe.

 _Oh fuck_.

* * *

 **A/N: I will obviously be adding interactions between everyone else in the future chapters, and if anyone has any ideas for 'filler' type events or whatever, college life, rehearsals, bonding thingos, anything like that, feel free to suggest them to me. I have the main ideas for the major drama of the story, but I could use some ideas on the other interactions and the rest of the background storyline.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: For the purpose of this story, we are pretending that the romance between Beca and Jesse never happened. They are just friends. I think I forgot to mention, although it might be obvious already: this story is set for the most part in the movie universe, beginning after PP1.**

 **Reviews are always helpful by the way :) And thanks to everyone who has followed/favourited/reviewed already, it really means a lot to me, and motivates me more...**

 **THANK YOU again to iamacrepe - you are freaking legendary for all your help :D**

 **I hope you all enjoy :)**

* * *

For the next week Beca tried to ignore what had happened that night. She was in denial that anything was wrong, and so she tried to forget about it. Surprisingly, this was relatively easy to do, because the rest of the Bellas began moving in to the house a few days later, and from then on life became hectic.

Living in a house with 9 other girls, well, one shouldn't expect anything to be quiet. After Aubrey had graduated from Barden University, she had gotten into Grad school in the area, so the blonde was now living real close to the Bellas and was able to visit them with ease. To fill in the spot that Aubrey had left in the acapella group, a foreign exchange student by the name of 'Flo' had joined. The way it worked out was great, the girls thought; Flo had come by the house when they were all still moving in, before school started and before auditions would be held, and asked if she could join. After a brief debate over the rules for adding new members without the official audition, Beca and Chloe decided that it was 'legal' in the school's guidelines. And so Flo had given a brief and very informal audition – but still a totally hilarious one where she danced around the room, performing acrobatics as she sang. After this, she had been invited to join.

Beca was overjoyed – well, as overjoyed as someone with her attitude could be – that they now had enough members to not participate in auditions that year.

That night as the brunette and the ginger were quietly talking in their room before bed, Beca had said with relief, "Thank god we don't have to go through the bullshit of proper auditions this year. I don't think I would have survived listening to a bunch of weirdos all sing the same song over and over again."

To which Chloe had responded "Aww Becs it wouldn't have been that bad. Some of the people that audition are really good. I mean, that's how we got everyone here in the group."

"Meh."

"I still think it would be interesting to hold auditions for the Bellas, and see if we could get more girls to join. Just having 10 of us limits what we can do musically and in terms of choreography."

'What are you turning on me already? Are we going to have a co-captain fight?" Beca smirked as she dodged a light punch aimed at her arm.

Chloe laughed. "No it was just a thought. But I do like having a smaller group. It makes things easier if we all mostly already know each other."

Beca nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and I'm confident we can do great arrangements with the 10 voices we have."

Soon after, the conversation died down as both girls fell into a deep sleep. The next day would be just as busy. Now that all the girls had moved in properly, they were all going out to shop for school supplies and food and what-not.

They were going to make a nice dinner as a welcome for themselves, and had invited Aubrey and Jesse over for it. Why Jesse, you ask? Well at the after party for the acapella groups of the ICCAs, he and Aubrey had come to realise their affection for each other. With the help of alcohol. Obviously. Anyway, now the two were going strong as an adorable couple.

And seeing as Jesse and Aubrey had been apart for so long over the break, Aubrey didn't want to go to the dinner without her newly reunited boyfriend. As an added bonus, Beca hadn't had much of a chance to see her best friend lately either, so she was also glad he was coming.

* * *

In the end, the dinner went quite smoothly. Chloe, being the most skilled at cooking out of everyone there, had taken charge and prepared most of the food: a delicious roast beef meal with a handful of veggie dishes to accompany the main feature. Surprisingly, Lily also had some skills in food preparation, so she was Chloe's right hand man for the day.

After returning from their group shopping trip, those two went straight to the kitchen to begin the long process of preparing and cooking the food. The rest of the girls were spread out around the house for the most part, either socialising with each other or sorting their things for school, or for those who were slower in the unpacking process from the previous few days, the time was filled with finishing unpacking their things. Beca managed to skip the shopping trip, not-so-secretly to her delight, as she had a shift at the radio station that morning, running the booth. When she returned home at the end of her shift, the brunette could be found hidden upstairs in her room for the remainder of the day, working on mixes to play on her next shift at the radio station.

Aubrey and Jesse joined the girls in the Bellas house that evening, and before long, dinner was being served. Choruses of thanks and "yummy's" could be heard all around the table as everyone dug into their meal.

The conversation revolved mostly around the coming year in acapella events, and the classes that people were taking in the quickly approaching semester. It was a very enjoyable event for everyone involved.

But if one looked closely, there was someone who seemed to be having trouble with the meal in front of her. And if one looked even more closely, there may have been a hand holding onto a stomach in what could have appeared to be pain. But no one could be sure, because each person at the dinner table was far too immersed in the conversation at hand to notice such a detail.

* * *

After dinner, Jessica and Ashley volunteered to wash up, which left everyone else to go about their own business. Chloe and Aubrey moved over to the couch in the living room to discuss acapella business, while most of the girls went and put on a chick flick in the other lounge room with the massive TV. Beca had disappeared upstairs, presumably to go to her and Chloe's room. Everyone knew she liked more time alone than most, and fortunately, they respected this. However, Jesse could sense that something was not quite right. So he excused himself from the rest of the group, and climbed the stairs to the girls' room, a few minutes after the brunette.

At first, Jesse was surprised to see no sign of Beca in her room. But then he realised the bathroom door was shut. As he sat down on what he presumed was Beca's bed, waiting for the DJ to return, he looked around the room, not having had the chance to see it yet. He smiled knowingly, recognising all the signs of this being Beca's side of the room: the band posters, the dark shades of everything, the records all around, and of course her precious DJ equipment.

When Beca did emerge from the bathroom a few moments later, she did not expect to see the brunette boy sitting on her bed waiting expectantly. She narrowed her eyes as she spoke.

"What are you doing up here, Jesse?" Her tone was not annoyed, mostly just suspicious.

Jesse looked up at her innocently. "I just came to see you. We haven't had much of a chance to catch up since I got back from vacation."

"Not when you've been attached at the lips to Aubrey, no we haven't." Beca gave her signature smirk.

Jesse shrugged. "Well I can't help it if my girlfriend is hot."

"Eww." Beca shuddered and shook her head.

"Anyway, how are you doing Becaw?" Jesse returned to his original purpose of coming up to visit her.

"Dude that's not my name! But I'm fine. How about you?"

"I'm good, but that's not the point. You" – Jesse pointed at Beca – "are not _fine._ " He added finger quotation gestures to make his point.

At this, Beca tried to play it off. Whilst Jesse knew about her condition, she didn't want to get into it now. The DJ was still in denial mode; she was 'fine', and wasn't ready to tell anyone otherwise.

She gave him a challenging look, "I think I'd know if I wasn't fine Jesse."

Jesse responded with a disbelieving expression, eyebrows raised, calling Beca out. "Come on Beca. Are you really gonna hide this from me? I've been there since the beginning, I should know by now what it looks like when you're not fine."

Beca was now avoiding eye contact, a little frustrated that she couldn't hide it from him. If she couldn't hide this from Jesse at this point in the early stages of her 'situation', how was she going to hide it from Chloe and the rest of the Bellas, whom she lived with?

"It's nothing really. Just a few symptoms, that's all." She relented as she plonked down onto the bed beside the Treblemaker.

'And that's why you barely ate anything tonight at dinner?" Jesse turned to face her, looking for confirmation. He received a simple nod. Beca was hoping that no one would notice this, but she should have known Jesse would.

"Are you feeling okay though?" He was sincerely worried about his best friend. They had known each other since beginning middle school together, and it was during this time that Beca first got sick. Naturally, Jesse had forced his way into Beca's life when they had first met (platonically). Why, she never understood. But Beca was ultimately grateful for this. Though she initially resisted and pushed the overexcited boy away, she had eventually gotten used to his company. And she later found out that he was an amazingly supportive friend. When she had found it too difficult to hide her condition, Beca was forced to confide in Jesse, and only good things came of this. This however did not mean the girl was ready to tell everyone about it.

But it did warm her heart when Jesse cared enough to ask about her wellbeing.

"I'm okay. My stomach is just uncomfortable and playing up a little. Nothing major." Beca was known for playing off things as not as bad as they actually were, and Jesse was well aware of this.

"Maybe you should get your dad to get you an appointment with a specialist, just in case." He suggested.

"No" the DJ waved him off. "I'll be fine. I don't want to make a big fuss of nothing."

"Will you at least promise me that you _will_ see a specialist if it gets worse? For me Becaw?"

Beca huffed in slight frustration at Jesse's persistence. "I promise." She spoke solemnly; she knew he had the right intentions, and grudgingly agreed that it would be best to see a specialist before her condition got too severe, if indeed that was where it was heading.

"Now back to the important business. How is it rooming with Chloe?" Jesse's face suddenly took on a mischievous look as he probed Beca.

"It's cool, she's a fun roommate. Why do I get the feeling you have ulterior motives?" Beca once again narrowed her eyes at him.

"Me? Ulterior motives? Why would you ever think such a thing?" Jesse pretended to be hurt as he faked shock. "You two seem to have gotten close over the break. Anything going on there?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Beca caught on quickly. "What? No! There's nothing going on, we are just friends dude."

"Uh huh." Jesse really didn't believe this; he had seen the way Chloe had made sure to sit next to Beca at dinner, and the way the two had so easily interacted the whole time he'd been there.

"Why would you even think that?" Beca was perplexed at this. Sure, she wasn't the best when it came to interacting or reading people, but she had never thought of Chloe as a potential love interest. She was her best friend. (Yes, you can have two of those).

"I've never seen you act like you do with Chloe, with any other person. It looks so easy the way you two get on. And with all the touching, it's not surprising that you guys would be mistaken for a couple." Jesse explained.

"Come on dude, Chloe is touchy-feely with everyone. As far as I know, she doesn't have feelings for me, and I'm pretty sure I don't have feelings for her either." Beca reasoned with him.

Jesse raised his hands in surrender. "If you say so, I rest my case. Now are you coming back downstairs to hang out, or are you going to stay up here and be antisocial?"

Beca pretended to think about her options. Both knew which one she would prefer though.

"I'll take the second one." She responded decisively.

"Of course you would. Well I have to get back to the Trebles' house, and make sure Benji hasn't made the place disappear in a magic trick." The DJ gave a small laugh at that.

"I'll see you around Beca." Jesse turned to re-join the group downstairs to say his goodbyes.

"See ya dork."

After she waved the boy off, Beca went to her drawers to carry out her nightly routine – taking her medication before anyone caught her doing so. As she did this, her mind was not on what she was doing at all; instead Jesse had gotten it into Beca's mind that maybe there was something going on with her and Chloe.

 _Me and Chloe,_ together? _That's ridiculous. We are great friends, yes, but I'm sure there's nothing more going on. I mean I don't even know if she's into girls. Though, we do get on so well, and it is effortless when we talk – that_ never _happens to me. And she is hot. Wait, what am I saying?! I don't have feelings for Chloe, do I?_

 _Oh god, maybe I do._

* * *

The tiny brunette was denied any more time in contemplating the possibilities of her feelings, when Chloe and Aubrey came into the room.

Thankfully, Beca had finished with her meds moments before the older girls made an appearance. Because she really wasn't focussed on what was happening in the present. The DJ silently scolded herself for being so lax with her hidden secret. After all, if anyone caught her with her meds, there would be absolutely no way the girl could explain it away without further interrogation. And she wouldn't survive that without giving something up, accidentally or otherwise.

"Hey Becs." Chloe greeted in her bubbly-as-always tone, flashing her roommate a bright smile.

"Hi Beca." Aubrey chirped in.

The brunette in question turned around to see the two moving from the doorway into the room, on their way to sitting on the redhead's bed.

"Hey guys." Beca responded warily. She quickly snapped out of her thoughts about any feelings between her and her roommate, pushing those far far away and out of her mind. That didn't stop a small blush from appearing on her cheeks upon seeing the redhead though.

But with their appearance, it seemed like something was up. It was clear the two had come upstairs with a mission. "What's up?"

She made her way to her own bed, taking a seat in opposite the two.

Chloe seemed to be in charge of this conversation for the time being, so she began the explanation.

"Well we were talking, and we know Bree isn't allowed to be a Bella anymore since she graduated, but she is so close by and an important part of our group." Beca was now narrowing her eyes at the redhead, wondering where this was going.

Aubrey chose this time to speak up. "And I would love to maintain my involvement in Bellas activities, just unofficially. I can't compete obviously, but I can help out."

As if they had planned beforehand to take turns speaking, Chloe began again. "I thought Aubrey could be an unofficial 'co-captain'" she made gestures with her hands to accompany the term. "She knows the most about acapella, and can assist us in running rehearsals and sorting music and choreography if we need."

"I can do as much or as little as you want." It was no doubt difficult for Aubrey to give up the reigns on one of the most important things in her life, but there was nothing she could do about it. She had graduated. And she did trust the two to bring the Bellas to success once again. It was more of an issue of letting go of the control.

But now it was up to Chloe and Beca to decide if she would be able to have an involvement in the singing group.

"Becs, I think it is a great idea, but you and I are both captains, so it is now up to you if you want to let her help." Chloe finished their combined speech of sorts.

The brunette had been quiet for a while, and whilst she had understood and taken in everything that was said, her mind was not entirely 'with it' at this moment. The girl was feeling somewhat tired already, despite how early it still was in the night. And on top of this, her brain was having a foggy moment, causing her to struggle to concentrate at all.

Seeing Beca's apparent struggle in her brain, Chloe spoke up again, confused as to what was happening.

"Beca?"

"Huh?"

"What do you think?" The two girls were looking at Beca expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"Uhm, my brain isn't functioning too well right now, can I think about it and get back to you?"

"Yeah, of course. Everything okay?"

"Uh huh, just a little tired. I tend to zone out when I get tired."

It had come on all of a sudden, but for Beca, this was to be expected. It was how life was for her at times.

Before either Chloe or Aubrey could respond to this, there was a thundering sound as Stacie climbed the staircase up to the bedroom, apparently in excitement over something.

She burst into the room. "You three better get your butts downstairs right now. It is aca-bonding time now that Jesse's gone home!"

Apparently the rest of the girls had gotten bored with the movie they were watching, and had abandoned it in favour of a more interesting form of entertainment.

In the midst of all the commotion that began from that moment, Beca was given no choice but to forget about her fatigue, as she was thrust into the group activity being prepared downstairs.

* * *

 **A/N: Beca's condition is something that is not always there, like it comes and goes, which is why she has been fine up until now. Just thought I'd clarify that in case there was any confusion. She was able to hide the illness all through her first year at Barden because it wasn't making her sick at the time. But now it has come back. I will explain her situation more over time.**

 **Also, sorry if I skipped too much of the dinner scene, but I really wanted to update it as soon as I could, and I had no idea what else to write for that part.**

 **Also also, yes, I am going to make you wait a little longer before you find out what exactly Beca's problem is :P Sorrynotsorry**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks again to iamacrepe, hope you enjoy :) And I love hearing your opinions :)**

* * *

"Bonding time!" Stacie announced in excitement as the Bellas gathered in the living room.

"Let's get as drunk as an Emu in the outback that sees water for the first time in days!" Fat Amy shouted from the kitchen, clearly more excited about alcohol involvement than the bonding. Beca rolled her eyes at Amy's antics. Half the time she made no sense in her Aussie ramblings.

Fat Amy and Lily were collecting a variety of drinks from the kitchen, thinking it would make the bonding activity more appealing.

"Drunken bonding, sounds like my kind of fun." Cynthia Rose joked, shooting a wink at Stacie across the room as she grabbed shot glasses for each of the girls from the cabinet.

With all the commotion going on, Aubrey decided it would be a good time for her to take charge, attempting to create some order from the chaos.

"Alright listen up Bellas! Seeing as it is the beginning of the year, and you have a new member, it is time we get to know each other again. Sit in a circle on the floor here" – the blonde pointed to the area in front of her as the group gathered in said spot – "and we are going to play a game of" – she was cut off by Stacie.

"Truth or dare!"

Cynthia Rose responded immediately, "Ooh I have a great idea for a dare"

"No, me first!"

The alumni captain was forced to interrupt once again, "Shush! We are not playing truth or dare." With this group of girls, who knew what mischief they would get up to with daring each other, especially with alcohol in the mix.

"We will play truth or truth. We will go around the circle clockwise and the person to your left will ask you a question and you must answer with the truth. Unless the question is too extreme, you have to answer. You cannot pass on a question."

"Truth or truth? Shouldn't it just be one truth?" Flo asked, apparently not focussing on the more important aspects of the conversation.

Fat Amy turned her attention to the new girl, answering her in a loud whisper. "Yeah, but the ol' cap-i-tan here is trying to make it seem like we have a choice."

Stacie added in, "She thinks we're more likely to agree to that, instead of just 'Truth'."

The Australian was nodding solemnly at the shorter girl, who seemed satisfied enough with that answer.

Most of the group had instead focussed on the part of Aubrey's spiel that spoke of a no-pass policy. Hence why they all looked a little daunted by this. Beca in particular was hoping like hell that she would not be asked about anything too personal. She wasn't ready to reveal all.

"But," Chloe stepped in, bringing everyone's attention to the matter at hand, "to make it fun, everyone has to take a shot before they are asked a question."

Everyone lightened up a bit at this prospect: alcohol made it way more enjoyable, and it would be interesting to see what questions would come out from the influence of alcohol.

They all rearranged themselves into the circle, passing around the shot glasses until everyone had a few full glasses in front of them. Fat Amy and Lily were in charge of filling the glasses, so it was anyone's guess as to what each glass contained.

Beca looked nervously at the drinks in front of her, but was given no time to contemplate before the game began. First up was Jessica, who asked Lily what her favourite color was. The answer to this scared those who actually heard her. Lucky for Flo, she was sitting on the opposite side of the room from Lily, so she had no clue what was said, which was for the better. They didn't want her being scared away from the group by Lily's sometimes-unsettling personality before the semester even started. No one could be certain, but it was thought that her answer consisted of the words blood, red and kill.

The game continued with a round of simple questions not unlike the first one, but fortunately with answers that were more comforting and 'normal'. After each of the girls had been through and answered their first question, it was suggested that they switch seats so that no one was asked a question by the same person twice. This made the game even more interesting, because no one was allowed to get comfortable with the person next to them asking their questions.

As the game went on, the questions got progressively more personal.

For round three, Chloe had made her way over and sat next to Beca, which worried the brunette. Chloe already knew lots about the girl, which meant the next question Beca would answer would be something that Chloe did not yet know about. Not only this, but they each had not had enough drinks yet to be severely affected by the alcohol. In other words, Chloe would still be serious enough to think of a good personal question for her roommate.

A drunk Chloe would have not been able to think hard enough to come up with a really good question, and would just shoot the first question that came to mind. And drunk Bellas meant they may not remember what was discussed in the game.

Beca was not given much time to prepare herself, as the time came for the redhead to ask Beca her question – the first of this round, and the brunette took her shot swiftly, hoping for it to relax her a bit.

"Beca, which of your tattoos is your most favourite?"

 _Yeah, this question isn't too bad I guess. Coulda been worse. But no way I'm showing them._

"Uh, that would be the quote I got on my back last year."

Aubrey was not satisfied with this answer.

"Beca, you have to explain more than that."

"Yeah, can we see it?" Stacie asked.

Beca raised her eyebrows, surprised at the request, but she didn't miss a beat before responding. "Sure! Let me just take off my shirt for you guys. Bonus strip act." She deadpanned, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "No Stacie. I'm not taking off my shirt in front of everyone here."

Chloe saved her, seeming to accept this. "Well tell us what it says instead then."

Beca took a deep breath, unsure if she even wanted to reveal that. But, these girls were all her friends, and she was comfortable enough to answer that. The DJ only hoped that no one would read too far into it.

"It says, _You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have_ '. Okay, moving on. Fat Amy, what is the craziest thing you have done back in Australia?" Beca purposely picked a question that would hopefully distract everyone and make them forget about her tattoo.

For a moment though, a few of the Bellas were intrigued by the quote Beca read. And they pondered on the depth of which this quote went for Beca.

Aubrey for one was leant back on the sofa behind her, eyebrows furrowed in thought as she considered the possibility of perhaps a painful past for the hobbit.

Chloe too was watching the small brunette closely for a moment, contemplating how much her roommate was hiding from her. But she brushed it off as just her being silly and overanalysing the situation.

Stacie as well was now quiet in thought, having seen the glimmer of pain that passed through Beca's eyes as she spoke of the meaningful quote.

This reveal was not enough on its own to spark great suspicion in anyone in the room yet. But it had the potential to raise questions in the future if combined with the right triggers.

But it did not take long for Fat Amy to launch into a loaded story of her craziest adventure, grabbing everyone's attention easily.

Beca though was still caught up on her reveal, lost in thought as she reflected on this tattoo and the meaning behind it. She had gotten it after surviving a particularly bad time in her life, before she had come to Barden.

The brunette soon enough snapped back into the present, listening in as Aubrey answered Lily's query about her parents (the younger girl wrote her questions on paper so people could understand what she was asking).

"Well, my mother passed away when I was 12, so I was raised by my father after that. As you know he is very strict, and he didn't seem to care that I was hurting after mom died. He just kept pushing me to be the best at everything. But I don't talk to him much anymore."

This sobered everyone up a bit, as they listened to Aubrey's solemn speech.

"Ashley." The girl in question took her shot. "What are you most looking forward to this year?"

Ashley grinned, "That's easy, winning the ICCAs!" This was followed by a few whoops and cheers from the group as they all agreed.

"Flo."

Flo took her shot. "Yes?"

"Why did you leave your family and home to come to Atlanta?"

"My family could not afford to keep feeding me if I stayed, so I came here to get an education and earn money to help my family. And so I don't starve."

"Stacie, what are you studying and why?"

The tall brunette took her shot before answering. "I am studying medicine because I want to help people. When I was younger, I had to watch my grandpa suffer through cancer, and I just hated sitting there and being able to do nothing. So I want to be the person that does whatever they can to help people who are sick."

Yep, the discussions in this round were getting real. The Bellas would certainly leave this room knowing a whole lot more about each other than when they entered it.

Chloe was up next, and she took her shot willingly without waiting for her name to be spoken.

"Chloe, when was the last time you cried and why?"

The redhead wasted no time in answering. This question had a very simple answer, one she was quite willing to share. Chloe was very open to giving away personal details anyway, and this particular question was not too bad considering.

"I last cried a week ago because I was missing everyone here."

The response was a chorus of "aww"s and "We missed you too!" Beca stayed quiet, wondering when this had happened. She was not aware of Chloe being upset last week, and it honestly hurt her that Chloe didn't tell her about this, or come to her for comfort.

* * *

After another round of 'Truth or Truth', Aubrey looked at her watch and declared it time for her to get home. She had a lot to do the next day, and didn't want to stay out too late tonight.

The blonde tried to convince the rest of the girls to do the same, and get some sleep, however they were more interested in continuing on with the game. Or shall we say, an altered version, Truth or Dare. At this turn of events, Beca decided it best if she went to bed. She was getting quite tired, and it probably would not be a good idea to keep drinking and do dares at the same time.

So the small brunette bid her farewells moments after Aubrey, and ascended the stairs to her and Chloe's room, yawning. She did not, however, escape so easily without any teasing. Going to bed so early? At the same time as the uptight former captain? What an old granny.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Back again with Chapter 4 :) I hope you enjoy.**

 **Terima kasih banyak kepada iamacrepe!**

 **To Sam who reviewed: you will just have to wait and see**

 **To everyone else, I would love to hear what you think so far. Your opinions work as great inspiration to write, so I know if I'm on the right track for an interesting story or a really crappy one.**

 **Thanks to everyone for following/favouriting/reviewing so far :)**

* * *

Not long after Beca had returned to their room, Chloe appeared in the doorway.

"You aren't playing anymore?" Beca questioned.

Chloe shrugged her shoulders as she moved into the room to sit on her bed. Neither girl was very drunk after the few rounds they did play, and they were still thinking about things that had been revealed earlier.

"No, I'm tired too. Don't want to be to hungover for the last day of the break tomorrow."

Beca nodded in understanding. She was about to get into bed as Chloe spoke up again.

"Can I see that tattoo Becs? I didn't get to see it properly when we met in the showers last year."

The brunette paused in her movement, looking down. It was clear there was a fight going on within her mind as to whether she should agree to Chloe's request or not.

"Umm," she hesitated.

Chloe picked up on her clear reluctance, but she wanted Beca to be able to trust her with things like this.

"It's okay, I won't judge or anything. You can trust me Becs. Please?" she spoke the last part in a really sweet tone, to which Beca could not resist.

"Yeah okay. Just for you." She finally agreed, adding in a joke. _Why is it that she can make me do anything with the snap of a finger? Must be the redheaded charm…_

The tiny brunette lifted the back of her shirt up and turned around, giving the redhead a good view of the whole tattoo, printed across her upper back in an almost cursive font.

Chloe moved closer so she could see it better, and took over holding the shirt up. Without thinking about boundaries, she ran her hand across the tattoo. "It's beautiful Beca." She sounded in awe.

Beca was trying to ignore the goosebumps that appeared as soon as Chloe's hand touched her bare skin. She definitely wasn't expecting the girl to touch her tattoo, but soon realised it was something that Chloe would actually do, so it shouldn't be too shocking to her.

"Thanks, I guess." She responded in a small voice.

The redhead finally let the younger girl's shirt drop back down, covering her back up again, as the girl turned around to face her.

Chloe sat back down on her own bed as Beca remained standing.

"Can I ask you something Becs?" Chloe's voice was serious, but soft.

Beca was unsure where this was going, and apprehensively responded, hoping that she could also get an answer to the question that was bugging her. "Only if I can ask you something after?"

"Deal." Chloe nodded once, giving a small smile before continuing. "Why did you get that tattoo?"

Beca let out an almost bitter laugh, as she gave in and prepared her answer.

"Of course you would ask this." She muttered mostly to herself. She paused for a moment, thinking of the best way to word her answer. "Let's just say, I went through a time when I was younger that made me realise how true the quote is. I was struggling with something, and it brought out a strength I never knew I had to fight it." That was all she was willing to give away at this stage.

Chloe listened intently, and accepted the explanation, acknowledging that Beca did not want to say anything more on the matter. But, she made a mental note to one day find out the story behind this. When she felt Beca trusted her more. Chloe knew it would take time, and she was willing to be patient with Beca and her resistance to showing vulnerability.

"I think that's awesome, that you got something that has so much meaning to you."

Beca responded with an awkward half-smile, ready to move on from the awkwardness of the conversation.

"Your turn now. Why didn't you tell me when you were upset about missing the girls last week?"

It was Chloe's turn to avoid eye contact, as she looked down sheepishly. "I didn't want to bother you with it. I know you don't like this kind of interaction so much, with sharing feelings and such. You were busy working on a mix anyway." She brushed it off.

Beca's eyes softened as she took in her roommate's perception of her. "I know I'm not good with the feelings shit, but you can always come to me if you are upset, Chlo. I'm sorry you thought differently. I hate to know that you were upset and didn't feel like you could come to me. And friends come before mixes."

Chloe lifted her head up, feeling her heart warm as her best friend spoke. When Beca finished, Chloe launched herself at the girl, squeezing her tight in a hug she had no choice over.

"Thanks Beca, I will remember that for next time."

"No problems Chlo. Now let's get to bed, I'm exhausted."

"Good idea."

Not half an hour later, the pair were fast asleep, happy to have been able to discuss the questions on their minds, without either girl shutting down the conversation.

* * *

It was five am when Beca jolted awake, launching herself out of bed and running for the bathroom, her hand holding her stomach. A few minutes later, a pained Beca made her way back to bed, regretting having drunken alcohol the night before. She knew alcohol might not be a good idea, what with her 'condition', but she had hoped that it wouldn't affect her. Boy was she wrong.

The brunette had almost fallen back asleep when her stomach began with more rolling waves of intense pain. Of course, she was forced to fling her covers back and make another run for the bathroom a moment later.

This time however, there was a knock on the bathroom door, and Chloe voice filtered through. "Beca? Are you okay in there?"

She must have woken the ginger up with her movements. _Damn it_ , she thought. _How am I going to explain away this one?_

"Yeah I'm okay, I'll be out in a second." She responded, as she held her stomach, still on the toilet.

When she returned for the second time, Beca found her roommate sitting on her bed, frowning in worry about her.

"Uh, hey." Beca started uncomfortably.

"Morning, are you okay Becs? You shot out of bed like a bullet just now."

Thinking that it would suffice if she went with a half-truth, Beca replied. "Yeah, I think the alcohol just messed with my stomach. Not surprising with whatever drinks Amy put in our glasses last night." She gave a laugh, trying to lighten up the mood.

"Oh, okay then. Can I get you anything to soothe your stomach?" Chloe was still worried, but took Beca's answer without question. She now just wanted to help the poor girl, knowing from first-hand experience what alcohol could do to a person's stomach.

"No, I'm okay thanks. I'm just going to go back to sleep. You should too, it's way too early to be up."

Chloe agreed, and they both went back to sleep immediately.

Beca was up and down several more times that morning to the bathroom, before she finally passed out in bed and remained asleep, ignoring the horrible feeling and the pains she was still having.

* * *

When asked about the brunette as she entered the kitchen downstairs later on that morning, Chloe explained that Beca was not feeling well and should not be disturbed. She had had a rough night and needed the few extra hours of sleep.

Stacie, being the student in medicine, did not understand why Beca would be feeling so ill when everyone else was okay. They hadn't had enough alcohol to be overly sick or hungover, especially since Beca was one of the first to leave, before more alcohol was consumed by the remaining Bellas in the game. Stacie knew better than the others, as she had the knowledge of this stuff from her studies. It was now time to investigate. So when she heard movement upstairs and the shower running in the captains' room, Stacie decided to go up and wait in the bedroom for the shorter girl to return.

Beca meanwhile in her half-asleep state had forgotten to take anything other than a clean set of underwear into the bathroom with her, and was forced to leave the bathroom half-naked.

Thinking that no one would be up there, especially since they had no apparent reason to be in the bedroom of Beca and Chloe, the brunette emerged from the bathroom in only her underwear, still drying off her hair with a towel.

Upon seeing a pair of legs on the floor in front of her, Beca lifted her head up to find Stacie sitting on her bed. The visitor looked up at the girl in front of her, smirking when she saw what Beca was wearing. Or rather, _not_ wearing.

She yelped, suddenly painfully aware of her clothing situation in the presence of company, and grabbed desperately at the nearest set of clothes hanging over her desk chair, before running back into the bathroom and slamming the door.

Her company, having seen something concerning the moment she saw Beca, was now standing up, following her to the bathroom. Thinking better of invading the DJ's privacy any further, Stacie stood back and waited.

"Stacie what are you doing up here?! You could warn a girl before you wait right outside her bathroom door." Beca called through the door as she finished getting dressed, in the skinny jeans and loose flannel shirt she had picked up in her rush.

"I just came to check up on you. Chloe said you weren't feeling so well earlier, so I thought I'd come see." She looked over to see Beca standing, fully clothed, in front of the open bathroom door, arms crossed.

"But now it seems there is something else more troubling I have to ask you about."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Oh look, another chapter...**

 **As always, iamacrepe is awesome and deserves lots of thanks :)**

* * *

Beca looked up at her friend, eyes wide, desperately hoping she was wrong about what the girl had seen.

"Huh?" she tried to play it cool.

Stacie responded by giving a pointed look at Beca's stomach. "I saw the scar Beca. When did you get that?"

Beca looked down, "What scar?"

As much as she could try to pretend it didn't exist, Beca did indeed have a scar, in the shape of a 3-inch incision across the right side of her stomach. It was healed over; an old scar, but the skin there was pale, a slight ridge indented there permanently.

Stacie raised her eyebrows at Beca, and narrowed her eyes, giving off a very serious and disbelieving expression.

"You know what I'm talking about. I am a medical student, so don't play dumb. I know what a scar like that comes from."

 _Abdominal surgery. That's what._

Beca was thinking of something to say when she was saved by the bell. Or Chloe to be more precise.

Chloe entered the room, now aware that Beca was up and moving. There couldn't have been a more perfect time for the redhead to interrupt, and for that, Beca loved her.

Knowing of Beca's reluctance to admit to anything with Stacie alone, the tall brunette figured she wouldn't want to admit to anything in the presence of Chloe as well, so she left it alone.

The two brunettes were then caught in conversation with Chloe about what they wanted to do for their last day of freedom.

But later on when they were back in the kitchen as Beca ate, Stacie whispered to Beca, "Don't think I've forgotten about what happened earlier. We will talk about this later Beca."

Beca visibly gulped, and as soon as she was left alone, she slipped out the front door (laptop bag in hand), thankfully leaving all of the house's occupants unaware.

The tiny DJ desperately needed some time alone. So much was going on in her life at the moment, and there was barely any time to register it all, let alone have a moment to herself.

So Beca went to the one place she knew no one would find her: her dad's house. Though her relationship with the man had been rocky at the beginning of last year, they had mended fences quite a bit since then, both choosing to move on from the past.

Early on Dr Mitchell had offered his daughter a quiet place to study or just to escape, knowing how busy and stressful college life could get. Of course, this quiet place was his own home, and there was even a spare bedroom with Beca's name on it, for just in case. The man had given Beca her own set of keys, informing her that the house would be empty more often than not, seeing as he was usually at Barden, teaching or conducting preparation for his classes, and his wife, Sheila, was often interstate due to her job in the business sector.

Beca was obviously grateful for the generous offer, however she initially doubted that she would find any reason to want to study, so she let him know that she wouldn't likely be using the keys he had gifted her with.

In spite of this, a few weeks later, the girl had turned up on the doorstep late one night, having been all but kicked out of her dorm room by the _wonderful_ Kimmy Jin, who was to be holding a MarioKart party with her friends. No assignment was finished that night at her father's house, but the tiny brunette had sure had a better time there than the alternative.

She had even stayed the night, opting for some more quiet time before she returned to her dorm. Dr Mitchell had made sure that Beca knew she could come over at any time, day or night, whether he was home or not. Though, it came as a surprise that night when she had turned up willingly entering the house with the professor in it.

Ever since that day, Beca had been a somewhat frequent visitor to the house; it became the place to go. Even on days when the brunette wanted to escape the reach of the Bellas before she moved in with them, this was her hideaway.

And especially now that she lived in a house full of college girls, there was no doubt she would continue to go there.

Today, Beca was just thankful that she had chosen to keep this information under wraps from her fellow Bellas. It was always nice to have someplace she could go, where she could be certain that no one knew the location of.

The DJ embarked on her journey to her dad's house at a brisk pace, wanting to get out of sight as soon as possible. The house was a ten minute bus ride away, which was easy enough to do, seeing as there was a bus stop at the Barden University campus, and the bus led straight to Dr Mitchell's house.

As she took a seat near the back of the bus, staring blankly out the window, Beca pondered on what her earlier interaction with Stacie had meant. Did Stacie suspect her condition by now, or had she been good enough at hiding it that the girl would just be suspicious of the scar and the scar only?

Not only this, but there were so many more questions floating around in Beca's brain as she made her way through the front door of the elegant two-story house, which was currently empty.

She chose to ignore those questions, and went straight to her 'second bedroom' upstairs, opting to focus on her music for the time being. The DJ pulled out her laptop and began to work on a mix she had thought up in between her ponderings on the bus.

The feeling of sheer bliss and calm that came from the solitude and peacefulness of the moment brought a genuine smile to her face as she lay back, letting the music flow through her, one with the beat.

This. This was what she loved. Music was what Beca Mitchell was born to do. There was no doubt about that. It made her smile when nothing else could, and was the best distraction whenever she had a problem. Often times, a few hours of mixing or listening to music would help the girl solve said problem, or clear up things in her mind. Music is everything to her.

* * *

An hour later and a few finished mixes left Beca feeling quite accomplished, however it also brought some free time for her mind to wander back to those questions previously on her mind. A few of the rare ones that were still muddled up in her mind after her music session.

What was she going to do about the Chloe situation? She couldn't possibly have any kind of relationship with the redhead in her current condition: there was no way Beca would allow herself to burden someone like that, even in the unlikely event of Chloe reciprocating her feelings. But she couldn't just stop her feelings from happening.

And then there was the question of what to do about her illness. It was clear that something was going on. For one, the reaction the brunette had had to the alcohol the night before was a clear indicator. The familiarity of the situation sunk in as she thought about it. This was often how it had started in the previous years that she was sick: fatigue, stomach pains, running to the bathroom in the middle of the night, reacting to some foods or alcohol.

But _NO!_ she thought. _I am not going to let this happen. If I ignore it, it will go away. I can forget about it, and it won't be a problem._

If Beca wasn't in denial right now, her voice – as controlled by a clear-thinking mind – would be clear as day, dripping with sarcasm. _Good idea, genius. Of course. Pretending something isn't there ALWAYS makes it go away. Dumbass._

But of course, since when was life _that_ simple?

Next up was the Bellas. Beca had a lot of responsibility now to ensure that their acapella group succeeded in their competitions and all other events, especially now that they were the reigning champions of the ICCAs.

Almost as if there were a telekinetic connection between the two, Beca's phone buzzed at that moment with a message from Chloe.

 _Chloe: Hey Becs, where are you? :D_

 _Beca: I'm off campus for a bit. What's up? :)_

 _Chloe: Just wondering if you had given any thought to the Aubrey helping out situation? Maybe we three could meet up for coffee at our spot? :)_

By this, Chloe was referring to the coffee shop around the corner from campus that the two girls had frequented over the break.

 _Beca: Yeah I have. Sounds good, I'll see you there in half hour?_

 _Chloe: See you then :D_

* * *

"What was she doing off-campus anyway? The hobbit doesn't have any other friends to go see does she?" Aubrey questioned her best friend. The two were sitting down in a booth at the back corner of the coffee shop, waiting for Beca to arrive.

Chloe responded with shrug. "I have no idea." But then a startling realisation had the ginger looking slightly upset. "Maybe she has a secret boyfriend she was visiting?"

Aubrey scoffed in disbelief. "Chloe, in case you haven't seen Beca, I don't think she's the kind of girl who is into guys."

"Who's not into guys?" Both girls spun around in their seats, hearing Beca's voice pop up seemingly out of nowhere.

Chloe tried to cover up for her friend, "Oh it's no-one. Just some girl in one of my classes." She took whatever words were at the top of her head, and unfortunately, they didn't quite make sense.

Beca took her seat across from the two older girls as she spoke. "But classes don't start till tomorrow?" She now looked confused.

"Exactly!" Aubrey threw in, trying to change the subject, but making no sense for once in her attempt. "Now are you going to order something Beca?" She and Chloe already had coffee cups in hand, having ordered when they arrived.

Beca took a second to think about this, realising that she really didn't want to drink a coffee, in fear of what it could do to her stomach. She was still feeling a little off after the early morning's events.

"No, I had something before I came." She spoke with authority, hoping it was convincing enough.

"What? You come to a coffee shop and don't order anything. That's rude Beca." Aubrey was scolding the younger girl.

"You know Bree, I think we have more important things to discuss right now." Chloe managed to call the blonde off.

"Right" Aubrey changed her focus. "So Beca, what do you think?"

"I think I could go for a nap right about now." The brunette replied with her signature smirk.

Chloe giggled. "No, about the acapella situation you silly goose!"

Aubrey was now glaring at said 'goose'. And wondering why her best friend was giggling like an idiot at a very mediocre joke…

"Ohhh right. Well, I guess I agree. It would be in the best interest of the Barden Bellas if we had all the help we can get." The two across from Beca were beginning to smile, thinking how 'awes' it would be to have more time hanging out together and for Aubrey to still be involved in the Bellas.

"BUT, I do have some conditions." The girls nodded, listening warily. "Music is my forte, and Chloe and I will have the last say in the song selections. You can help with organising rehearsals, and maybe you could sort out the fundraising events and promotional stuff, because you know all about that shit and I have no clue. Be like our manager of sorts."

Aubrey seemed to agree to this. "That sounds fair. I can do that. But you can't fight me on everything I suggest, okay?"

"I make no promises. As long as your suggestions aren't completely stupid, then I suppose I won't. Chloe, do you agree with all this?" Beca was now facing the redhead, waiting for her opinion.

"I think it's fair too. As long as we all do whatever we can to get us back to Lincoln Center again for another championship, I agree."

"Ooh!" Beca suddenly remembered her other condition. Aubrey and Chloe were now looking at her strangely. "And no rehearsals before 10am."

This received two sets of eye-rolls. Everyone knew how Beca liked her sleep, she definitely was not a morning person. Chloe had learnt this the hard way, one day when she tried to wake the brunette up for an early-morning run one day.

The three shook hands across the table, in a show of agreement.

"Deal."


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks to everyone for reading, following, favouriting, reviewing, existing, etc. :)**

 **Thanks especially to iamacrepe!**

 **I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

Several weeks passed before Beca finally decided she needed to see a doctor. Her symptoms had been gradually worsening as time went on. She was even resorting to taking painkillers to get through the stomach aches she was experiencing. It was now at the point where Beca had no choice: she couldn't ignore it any longer.

On one particular day the girls had just had a gruelling rehearsal, run mostly by Aubrey of course, and even the captains were exhausted after it.

To begin with, Aubrey had pushed for some cardio, and won. Beca tried to fight back, but in the end she grudgingly gave in, deciding that some cardio would truthfully be good for the group, so they could dance and sing without tiring too easily.

And then followed singing exercises, led by Chloe and Beca as they tried to come up with a nice set that worked to their strengths. Aubrey had once again tried to push Beca to choose certain songs, but was fought hard.

"Need I remind you that you are here as a guest, and Chloe and I, the _captains_ of the Bellas, can uninvite you from these rehearsals?" Beca had raised an eyebrow questioningly, as she challenged the blonde.

"Beca, you're songs are too risky. They could either go well or completely fail. I think you should try for something safer." Aubrey persisted.

This time, Chloe stepped in to defend Beca. "Bree, I think Beca is right, we need to try something different and risky, that's how we won last year, right?"

The still-uptight blonde couldn't deny this point. "Yeah, I guess. Well, it is up to you in the end. But don't come crying to me if it all goes pear-shaped."

Beca responded to this, "Don't worry, we won't. We are going to win this year too. No doubt. We've got this Aubrey."

Despite their occasional, or perhaps often, bickering, Beca and Aubrey's relationship had indeed improved since the beginning of the previous year, specifically in the lead up to the ICCAs finals at Lincoln Center. They both had to agree on the fact that they were concerned with winning the competition, and they were fighting with the best interests of the group in mind.

So Aubrey sat back and observed the rest of the rehearsals, secretly thinking that the song choices actually sounded pretty good. 

When rehearsals came to an end, after 3 hours of hard work, the girls decided they needed a pick me up in the form of lunch at the local cafe.

Chloe noticed Beca hanging back as the rest of the group began the walk to the cafe.

"Aren't you coming Becs?"

Beca looked up, thinking of the best way to answer without giving anything away. "Nah, I think I'll just head straight home and freshen up, I need to see Jesse about work." The half-truth would have to suffice.

Chloe couldn't help but look disappointed, "Oh, okay. I'll see you at home later then?"

"Sure, see you." With that, Beca turned and walked in the other direction, towards the Bellas house, feeling the guilt creeping up on her for lying to her best friend. _It is for the best_ , she told herself. 

As she arrived home and headed straight upstairs for their bedroom, the DJ let out a sigh of relief to finally be alone, and be able to let her guard down. The brunette collapsed onto her bed in exhaustion.

Though rehearsals may not have been too exhausting for the rest of the girls, Beca felt as though she needed to sleep for a hundred years to regain the energy she had lost. And it didn't help that her stomach had been hurting once again throughout their exercise routine; the movement was counterproductive to her condition. Her eyes drifted closed without warning, as Beca fell asleep, not having the option decide for herself if she wanted to sleep or not. She was out cold whether she liked it or not.

* * *

Beca came to two hours later, and she sat up rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, as the girl tried to remember how she got here. Across from her bed, Chloe was sprawled out on her own bed with her textbooks surrounding her as she studied.

She looked over, hearing Beca's movement.

The brunette however, had not yet realised she had company in the room, and as the realisation hit her that she had fallen asleep and indeed neither showered and freshened up, nor visited Jesse, she swore. "Oh shit!"

"Hey there sleepyhead." Chloe replied cheerily, causing Beca to jump as she realised Chloe was there.

"Hey", she gave a small smile to her roommate as she stood up and started gathering her things for her shower.

"What was with the swearing? Have you been here the whole time? I got home half hour ago and you were passed out. Didn't even stir when I came in."

"Oh, yeah I must have fallen asleep when I got home." Beca ran a hand through her hair. "How was lunch?"

"It was good. Not the same without my fearless co-captain though." Chloe pouted. "You have to come next time."

Beca nodded solemnly, promising to do just as she was told.

Chloe continued on, "But lucky for you, Jesse is downstairs, so you can talk to him here."

Beca took in this information, and was debating in her head as to whether this was a good or bad thing. On the one hand, she didn't have to move so far to get to him, but on the other hand there would likely be no privacy in this house to discuss what she intended to discuss.

"Let me guess, Aubrey's still here?" Beca rolled her eyes. The blonde was hanging around the house more often than not lately. Even though she had her own place not too far away.

Chloe seemed to read her friend's mind. "She likes the company here Becs, there's no one for her to hang out with at home."

"Yeah whatever. As long as she doesn't start bossing me around on how to live here" With that Beca entered the bathroom and started the shower, leaving Chloe to resume her studies.

Ten minutes later, a refreshed Beca left the comfort of her and Chloe's bedroom, in search of her other best friend. 

It didn't take long before she came across Jesse in the living room, holding hands with Aubrey across the couch.

"Hey Becaw! How's it going?" Jesse was excited as ever to see his best friend.

Beca was less enthusiastic. "Hey nerd, it's going good. Listen, can I talk to you for a minute, it's about work." She gave him a meaningful look as she spoke those last words.

Jesse instantly recognised her words for what they really meant, and immediately got up off the couch, excusing himself. "I'll be right back, babe."

Aubrey looked suspicious of this activity, but said nothing of it, waving it off as best friend business.

Beca led the way outside, as Jesse joined her in a slow walk around the lake nearby.

"What's up?"

Beca mumbled the next words so quietly that Jesse had trouble understanding. "Youmayhavebeenright."

"What? Right about what?" Jesse probed.

"About me needing to see a specialist. It's gotten worse lately, and it is going to be hard to hide from anyone soon enough." Beca kept her eyes on the path in front of them as she spoke.

"Aw Beca, I'm sorry I was right. I was hoping it would go away too. So do you know what you're going to do?"

Silence.

At this point, Jesse realised Beca was actually looking for advice.

"I think you know what you have to do, you just don't want to do it."

Beca looked up at him, narrowing her eyes. "And what's that exactly?"

"You have to go to your dad for help. To find a specialist and get him to help you set it up."

Beca huffed out in frustration. "I hate it when you're right." She admitted begrudgingly.

Jesse smiled at this, happy to hear such a rare statement from his badass friend.

"Do you want me to come with you when you go see him?" He offered, knowing how uncomfortable it would be for the girl.

Beca mulled this over for a second before responding.

"No, it's okay. I'll be fine."

Jesse accepted this before moving on to different concern for Beca. "By the way, Aubrey mentioned you passed on lunch with the girls, you _are_ eating aren't you?" His voice was laced with uncertainty, knowing from experience what Beca would do when affected by her illness.

"I'm not starving myself Jesse." The response came in a tone that said 'come _on'_ , with an eye roll. The girl wasted no time in getting to Jesse's point.

"What have you eaten today?" Her best friend was still doubtful. Though he knew she wouldn't deliberately starve herself for the sake of starving herself or for losing weight, Jesse had known Beca for long enough to know that she was probably not eating well if she was skipping lunch events with her friends.

Beca averted her eyes, the action itself a form of admission. "I just feel shitty today, eating would've made me sick." She explained herself.

"Is your stomach pain that bad?" His expression turned sympathetic.

Beca's hand rubbed her belly subconsciously. "Well it's not a walk in the park, let's put it that way. But it's the nausea that stops me from eating sometimes." Somehow, being in the presence of her concerned best friend made Beca willing enough to tell the truth without much reservation.

"But it's no big deal," she continued, "I'm still eating, I'm just being more careful about it at the moment." She reassured him.

"Okay, just please try to eat something today, even if it's just a small amount, you need the nutrition and energy."

"I'll try."

"Thank you."

"Uhuh. Moving on."

The pair had almost reached the Bellas house again, somehow they had timed their walk perfectly to their conversation. Beca thought for a moment on when she would go talk with her father. She really wasn't in the mood to do it any time in the next few days, so she put it to the back of her mind for the time being.

"If anyone asks, we were talking about swapping shifts. I'm putting Jackson on the air Saturday night while we are at Hood Night to cover for you, okay?" Jesse nodded.

"You know, there is an alternative to all this secrecy Beca." Thinking now would be as good a time as any to bring it up, Jesse took the risk.

'What, tell everyone about it?" Beca questioned in almost disbelief. Jesse nodded.

"No way." She flat-out refused, as usual whenever this topic was brought up. Her illness was not something that she wanted to share with any more people than she had to. Besides her reasoning being her closed-up personality in general, this condition was also somewhat embarrassing to Beca, and this was a big part of her choice for secrecy.

"Someday you're going to have to let them in Beca. Even just Chloe. Maybe you'll find that trusting someone with your secret isn't as bad as you make it out to be. I worked out okay didn't I?"

"No, you're a total pain in my ass about it." She faked a glare at her best friend.

"Just, give it some thought okay? For me."

Beca rolled her eyes, but agreed. "Yeah yeah. Whatever." 

They walked up the few steps to the front door, finding once inside that Aubrey was nowhere to be found. This likely meant she was upstairs with Chloe. So the two ascended the stairs, Beca headed for her bedroom, and Jesse searching for his girlfriend.

Before they entered the room though, Jesse quietly said to Beca, "Whenever you do go see him, good luck with your dad," earning a response of a simple yet meaningful, "thanks dude." 

They walked into the room, and were greeted by the sight of Chloe and Aubrey rolling around in fits of laughter.

"What is going on here?" Jesse broke the girls out of their apparently hilarious thoughts. They sat up straighter, now aware that there were two more people now in the room, and sobered up from their laughter.

Aubrey was the first to respond. "Just reliving old memories."

"Good times," Chloe added, with a playful wink at Beca.

Jesse spoke up again, "Well, I should get going, I have to go get ready for my shift at the radio station. Do you want me to walk you home, Aubs?"

"I'd love that." Aubrey got up, hugging Chloe goodbye, and followed Jesse out the room as he called back to Beca.

"I'll see you round Beca?"

"Yep." Beca nodded her head firmly.

Before Chloe could ask what Beca and Jesse had spoken about, her roommate was moving around getting her things ready as she made her way back downstairs. Chloe forgot Beca had an afternoon class.

Beca passed through the kitchen on her way out, following up on the promise she had made Jesse, and grabbed an apple to eat on the way to her class.

 _Philosophy lecture, here I come._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I realise that I am kind of prolonging the reveal of what Beca's secret is, but don't worry, it should come clear in maybe chapter 10. I've already got that one written up.**

 **For reference, usually the italics is Beca's thoughts. But it is also used for phone messages, hopefully it won't be too confusing :)**

 **Also, I am a very sarcastic person, so I hope you can understand all the sarcasm I put in my story.**

 **Huge credit and lots of thanks to iamacrepe for their ideas on this chapter!**

 **Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy! I would love to hear your thoughts on the story so far, or what you want to see happen…**

* * *

By the time Hood Night rolled around, there was an atmosphere of excitement running through the Bellas' house.

As previously decided, the girls did not go to the auditions, and no complaints were received by any prospective members. Apparently the BU Harmonics had decided to change their tune (pun intended) this year, in the hopes of gaining more talent, by promising a wider range of potential songs for performance. In doing so, this group had picked up quite a few of the people who auditioned. But this didn't worry the Bellas; they were confident in their own talent and the success it would no doubt achieve.

This year, Hood Night was to be held at the Bellas' House, with Beca DJing for part of the event. And so for the few days leading up to it, the DJ could be found holed up in the captains' room, working on mixes to play. That is, when she wasn't in class or working at the station or at rehearsals.

Believe it or not, Beca actually wanted to put some effort into the other aspects of college life this year, which required attendance in class AND studying. She was still working on the 'studying' part.

Hood Night began with some generic party music to warm up with, while everyone was busy socialising. A few of the High Notes were actually dancing already, either because they were really enjoying the music, or for some…. other reason, because of some…. other…. influence.

Soon enough, DJ Beca Mitchell took over the music, complete with her mixing boards and fancy DJ equipment, all set up in a corner of the house. She had just begun to play a new mix when Jesse joined her in the corner.

The Treblemaker tapped loudly on the table in front of her, attempting to get the DJ's attention. After a few taps she looked up, brought out of her own little world.

"Oh hey Jesse, enjoying the party so far?" She asked as she returned half her focus to the mixing boards and her laptop.

"Yeah I am!" Was the enthusiastic reply.

Clearly, Jesse was not only enjoying the party but also the alcohol involved.

"Isn't it great that you are DJing for Hood Night? I'm so proud of you Becaw!"

Beca was quite entertained by her friend's drunken antics. She chuckled. "Yeah it is fantastic!" The Bella emphasized, adopting Jesse's attitude, making fun of his alcohol-induced enthusiasm. He squinted back at her, as if trying to decipher something really important.

"I get the feeling you are making fun of me…" he trailed off.

Beca faked shock. "Me?" She placed a hand on her chest, dramaticizing her statement. "I'm hurt you would think such a thing!" Her expression changed into one of teasing, the signature smirk ever-present.

"Right." Jesse rolled his eyes, still grinning. "I'm gonna go find my girlfriend now. Have fun with the mixing, it sounds great so far." He waved as he made his way back into the throng of hyped up people dancing and drinking in the centre of the room.

Deciding that she too needed something to quell her thirst, Beca lined up a few songs ready to play, and left her post in the corner, now headed for the kitchen. As she made her way past a small group of the Bellas dancing at the edge of the room, they cheered her on, complimenting the music she was playing. Or at least, some of the comments sounded like compliments. Flo had told her in a serious tone, "This song reminds me of the time my brother and I were running from a corrupt policeman."

Beca really didn't know how to respond to that comment (should anyone?), so she just nodded slowly, whilst backing away ready to escape to the kitchen.

There, the DJ was found by Chloe, the former girl's head buried in the refrigerator, in search of something non-alcoholic to drink. Beca was definitely not going near alcohol after what happened last time.

Finally deciding on a juice pouch – her favourite – the younger girl pulled her head out from inside the refrigerator and shut the door. And there was Chloe, ready to surprise her roommate.

Boy did Beca get a shock! She just about jumped 3 feet in the air, seeing a person standing right in front of her, having appeared out of nowhere.

"Jesus Chlo, you scared the hell out of me!" She was still waiting for her heart rate to go back down to normal speed.

The redhead giggled. "Oops, sorry Becs. I just came to get a drink," she motioned towards the empty yellow cup now sitting on the bench next to her. The yellow cup which looked strangely familiar to Beca…

"And I couldn't resist the chance to scare you when I saw you behind the door." She was now waving her arms around in an elaborate way of explaining her intentions. Oh, how interesting alcohol could make things.

Beca nodded as she poked the straw in the opening of her juice pouch. "Right."

Chloe turned to her cup and began filling it with beer from the massive container currently occupying the counter space.

"Why aren't you having any jiggle juice Becaaa?" The ginger asked over her shoulder, clearly intoxicated.

Beca, finding herself caught up in a moment of admiration, of how beautiful Chloe was, and how _cute_ drunk-Chloe was ( _Stop it Beca!)_ , snapped out of it just in time. Still, the question caught her off guard. It wasn't something she wanted to focus on. However, the brunette reassured herself that no one would remember what she did or did not drink, the next day.

"Oh, um.." she fumbled for some words. "I have to stay sober so I can play the music, otherwise it'll suck."

That made enough sense to Chloe. She turned back, sipping from her now-full yellow cup.

"Oh good idea!" The two began to move back towards the main party area.

Just at that moment, the song changed, to Beca's mix of Titanium and 500 miles. She glanced around nervously, sipping from her juice pouch, beginning to regret choosing this mix to play on this night.

Chloe's eyes widened at hearing the music. She turned to face Beca, excitement written all over her face. "Oh my god Becs! You made a mix with our song? This is totes awes! Come dance with me?" She pleaded, battering her eyelashes to try and convince the DJ to join her.

Beca blushed at the mention of 'their song' and quickly made up an excuse. "Ah, sorry I have to keep an eye on the music system."

Chloe's expression did nothing to hide her obvious disappointment, but she reluctantly left, instead finding Aubrey to dance with on the other side of the room.

As Beca made her way over to her corner setup, trying to process what had just happened, she found herself aware of more company, in the form of Stacie, Cynthia Rose, Fat Amy and Lilly. Beca was soon painfully aware of the apparently public nature of her and Chloe's last conversation.

"Hey Shortstack, I didn't know you and the ginger had a song together. Are our captains doing 'the dance' together?" Fat Amy raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"What?!" Beca exclaimed, shocked at the Australian's boldness. "No! Ew Amy." She was now blushing a vibrant tone of red.

Stacie cut in, "You can tell us Beca, we can keep a secret." She was smirking teasingly.

"Yeah I want to know the story behind your _song_ " CR added with finger quotation marks.

Then just as a lull in the music hit, Lilly commented, in one of her rarely-heard moments, "Is this about what happened in the showers?"

Beca's eyes shot up to land on Lilly, having actually heard the quiet girl, and now frozen in place as she realised what was said. No one was supposed to know about that. Her look of incredulity said it all. _How in the aca-hell does Lilly know about that?!_

Lilly was now acting totally normal, as if she hadn't just revealed her knowledge of the top secret, secret.

But as Beca returned to the land of the un-frozen, she realised she could very well be the luckiest person on Earth at this exact moment. Judging by the looks on the three other girls' faces, not one of them had heard Lilly's words.

The DJ let herself breathe again as she continued the conversation, glad there was no more fuel to be added to this firing of questions.

Beca was adamant in her response to all of their questioning. "Guys! There is NOTHING to tell! You have no idea what you're talking about." She turned around to her desk, adjusting a few dials in an attempt to avoid the conversation.

Fail.

The girls moved to stand directly in front of her.

"Wait, you mean we _aren't_ talking about your crush on Chloe?" Fat Amy asked in a serious tone. Beca's eyes almost popped out of her head again.

"You have a _crush_ on Chloe?"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

The DJ was now officially ready to kill her so-called 'friends'. _Why were they ganging up on her?_

* * *

To be continued...


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you to everyone for reading my story. I hope you enjoy chapter 8!**

To the guest who reviewed: I love your detective work there :)

To twin192: Yes they will eventually find out, a bit further down the line :)

To kaoone and 123a456e: Thanks for your awesome opinions guys :)

 **Thank you to iamacrepe for her amazing ideas!**

 **(this chapter is directly continued from chapter 7)**

* * *

Meanwhile on the other side of the room…

Chloe had made it back to where Aubrey was standing and began dancing along to the music, yellow cup still in hand.

As soon as Chloe returned, Aubrey had gotten straight down to business.

"So when were you going to tell me about you and Beca, Chlo?" She questioned.

The ginger was dumbfounded by this. "What about me and Beca?"

Aubrey gave her friend a disbelieving look. "Seriously?"

"Come again?"

"You two obviously have toners for each other. You almost act like a couple already Chloe. Not to mention you've been going on about how good her music is all night. And was that flirting I just witnessed?"

Now it was Chloe's turn to give the disbelieving look. "Are you serious Aubrey? There is totally nothing going on between us. She does not have a toner for me! And I…" she hesitated, and then her behaviour suddenly changed. "You know, this party is awesome, don't ya think Bree? You should be dancing more!" She was clearly unable to fool her friend.

Aubrey rolled her eyes at the attempt at distraction. "Don't even try to lie to me Chloe, we've known each other way too long for that."

Chloe huffed, giving in easily thanks to the alcohol in her system. "Okay, I totally have a toner for Beca." She admitted. "She's adorable! And she's so good with the music. And – " the redhead was really getting into this, far too immersed in the topic of Beca.

"Woah woah woah. Hold up. I don't need to hear how much you looove the hobbit. That's clear enough thanks to your behaviour around her. And the fact that you have the yellow cup from her audition. Really Chloe?" The blonde gestured to the cup in the redhead's hand as she spoke.

Chloe shrugged. "I can't help it."

Then as if it had never occurred to her before, Chloe spoke up. "Oh my god. I have feelings for Beca! What am I gonna do Bree?" Chloe was now looking shocked by her revelation, and was feeling the panic as she realised the implications of such feelings.

They had both stopped dancing and were just standing there at the edge of the room.

"Well what do you want to do? It's pretty clear to me that the feelings are mutual."

Chloe frowned at this. "Naaah. Beca doesn't like me like that!" She spoke as though this was an absurd thought.

"Oh doesn't she?"

Both girls spun around to face the person who had apparently joined in their conversation. It was Jesse. He was interested to hear that perhaps Chloe felt the same way as Beca.

"Hey babe." He kissed Aubrey in a proper greeting, forcing her to temporarily forget about his words.

"Hi." She smiled widely back at him.

"Come sit down with me? I'm tired of standing up for so long." Jesse complained.

Aubrey was about to agree, but then realised they were still in the company of Chloe. She turned back to her friend, who seemed to read her mind.

"Don't worry about me, I'm going to go find someone who will actually dance with me, not just stand there." She smiled, teasing the blonde.

Aubrey raised her hands in surrender, "Fine, we'll go sit down then." She followed her boyfriend to a couch nearby, whilst Chloe walked off in the direction of the group of Bellas seemingly interrogating Beca.

As the two lovebirds sat down, Aubrey remembered Jesse's words from moments earlier, and curiosity took over. Maybe in his drunken state, she could get the Treblemaker to share some details about Beca's stance on Chloe…

"So what did you mean before, when you interrupted Chloe?"

But Jesse had his own agenda. "So Chloe has feelings for Beca, huh?"

"Hey! I asked you a question first. Do you know something I don't?" It was obvious she was referring to Beca's feelings.

Jesse's face took on a mischievous look, as he playfully skirted any 'real' answer. "I might…"

Aubrey's mouth fell open as she got the confirmation she was looking for. "So Beca _does_ like Chloe back?"

Now Jesse grinned as he got his answer. "Ahah! So Chloe likes Beca!"

Aubrey sighed. Surely Chloe wouldn't mind the blonde talking about her crush with her boyfriend. Even though he was said crush's best friend. "Yes. She has it bad."

"Ohmygod, Beca too!"

"We are going to have to do something about this aren't we? It doesn't look like they'll get anywhere anytime soon."

Jesse nodded in agreement, before suddenly stopping. "No we should stay out of this. Beca would kill me if we tried to get them together."

Aubrey frowned. "Why? We'd only be helping them. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I want them to get together, so then they won't be having all those longing stares and all the unspoken tension."

Maybe Aubrey too had been drinking tonight.

"Hah, can I get that in writing? I want evidence of this conversation."

Aubrey playfully smacked Jesse. "Shut up. We need a plan to get them together."

Jesse became serious once more. "No, we can't. Beca doesn't want – " He cut himself off as he realised what he'd done. The alcohol had prevented his brain-mouth filter from functioning properly as he put his foot in it, saying more than he should have.

Aubrey leant back in confusion. "What? She doesn't want to be with Chloe? I thought you said she had feelings for her."

"No, forget what I said. It's complicated. I shouldn't have said anything."

"What do you mean 'complicated'?"

"It's not my place to say. Beca would kill me."

"What, best friend trumps girlfriend now, does it?" Aubrey didn't believe it. Her boyfriend shouldn't be hiding things from her.

Jesse sighed, hating himself for what he was about to say. "In this case, yes. I'm sorry Aubs, but I can't tell you about this. It is Beca's secret to tell."

Yep, Aubrey was definitely suspicious of Beca now. And a little hurt that he wouldn't tell her what the deal was.

Jesse continued. "Let them figure it out together without any outside help. Beca will come around, but we shouldn't push her. In the meantime, we can laugh at their complete obliviousness to each other's feelings?" He suggested.

Aubrey smiled, nodding. "Good plan. Now where were we?" She moved closer to Jesse and leant up to kiss him.

* * *

Back at Beca's corner…

"Guys shut up. I do NOT have a crush on Chloe." Beca really hoped the party-style lighting in the place was enough to cover up her bright red cheeks.

"Sure sure", Cynthia Rose was the first to respond, speaking what everyone was thinking, as she rolled her eyes disbelievingly.

"Sure what?" Chloe's voice once again came out of nowhere as she reappeared, yellow cup in hand. Beca eyed the cup suspiciously, unsure of what to make of this.

"Your dancing. Sure is great!" Stacie covered.

Chloe gave a cheesy grin. "I know right?"

Finally recovering from the shock of her apparent interrogation by her 'friends', Beca managed to speak up.

"What happened to Aubrey? I thought you were dancing with her?" The tall blonde was now nowhere in sight.

"Oh she went off with Jesse, probably for a make-out session." She smiled sweetly at Beca.

"Oh."

"Yeah. Come dance girls! It's no fun hiding in a corner over here." She grabbed a hold of whoever's hands she could reach, and began pulling the girls with her.

Stace and CR followed eagerly, whilst Fat Amy rambled on about wrestling dingoes or something, and disappeared around the corner. Beca stayed firm on the 'no-dancing' front.

"Sorry I have to monitor the music."

And Lilly mumbled something inaudible, apparently also staying put.

Chloe seemed satisfied enough with her two new dance victims, and continued on her way to the midst of the dancing crowd, flashing one last smile to Beca as she went. The DJ smiled back, happy that her friends were enjoying their night.

As she fiddled around with her music equipment, preparing to play more mixes, Beca looked over at Lilly, still standing by the desk.

"Lilly who told you about the showers?" she asked suspiciously.

Unfortunately the loud music blocked out any chance the DJ had of hearing a response. Which was probably for the best, as it involved something about a time machine…

"Huh?" Beca leant over, trying to hear the girl, but no response came. Lilly shrugged her shoulders and pulled out her phone, apparently done with the conversation.

Beca frowned, frustrated to have no answer, but instead glanced around the crowd, watching in awe of everyone dancing to _her_ music. She had to admit, it was kind of mind-blowing to know that the music that she, Beca Mitchell, had made, was making all these people move together in a rhythm. Beca sighed in contentment as she let the music flow through her too, appreciating the sounds filling the house.

Seemingly with a mind of their own, the brunette's eyes then drifted over to land on the form of a cheery redhead, still moving to the beat of the music.

Brought out of her prolonged 'glancing' at her roommate, the brunette suddenly felt her pocket vibrating and heard the short 'ding' accompanying the vibration, as she received a new message on her phone.

Confusion hit the girl as she read who the sender of this message was, then looked up at said person, who was now standing next to her, awaiting a response. Beca looked back down at the message on her screen.

 _Lilly: She likes you too._

"What are you talking about?"

Ding. Another message.

 _Lilly: Chloe._

Ding.

 _Lilly: She likes you too. I know these things._

"What? What do you mean 'too'? I told you guys earlier, I don't have a crush on her." Beca was speaking in a low voice, making sure that Lilly was the only one able to hear her.

Ding.

 _Lilly: Don't bullshit. I've had training in interrogation._

Ding.

 _Lilly: I'm an excellent human lie detector._

For what seemed like the hundredth time that night, Beca was rendered speechless. Since when was Lilly so blunt? Granted, she had never really spoken much in the audible range for anyone to know of her full personality.

Beca relented, giving up on her denial. Apparently she wasn't fooling anyone tonight.

The DJ huffed. "Is it really _that_ obvious?" She questioned, unsure if she actually wanted the answer.

Ding.

 _Lilly: No_

Well that wasn't much to go on. Beca opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by yet another ding.

 _Lilly: The other three were joking. They like teasing you, because you react so easily._

Clearly being quiet had its advantages, one being that the Asian girl seemed to notice everything.

Beca felt relief wash over her.

Ding.

 _Lilly: It's not obvious. But you staring at her might make it obvious._

The quiet girl was of course referring to moments earlier, when Beca was watching Chloe dance. Beca blushed at this.

"Noted."

Lilly gave a short nod back, before returning her focus to the phone in her hand.

Ding.

 _Lilly: You should ask her out. Going hunting is a good first date._

This received raised eyebrows. _How do I respond to this?_

"Uhm, while that is an… interesting idea, I'm not asking Chloe out on a date."

Ding.

 _Lilly: Yes._

Beca looked up from her phone. "No sorry Lilly, I'm not. There's no way she likes me back in that way. And anyway, everything is good as it is. I can't ruin our friendship." Of course, she was leaving out the part that said she didn't want to be a burden to Chloe, health issues and all. It wouldn't be fair on her. Not that it even mattered, because nothing was ever going to happen between the two co-captains.

Ding.

 _Lilly: But you_ _ **do**_ _like her._

Beca sighed. "Yep, I do. Chloe is pretty awesome. I love how passionate she is about the Bellas. And she's always so happy." The brunette was smiling as she recalled her favourite things about the redhead.

Lilly gave her a look, that didn't need words to explain. _You're screwed._

Ever since her realisation of the crush she had on Chloe, Beca had come to accept it, (though she knew she wouldn't act on it) and had grown fonder of the ginger.

But before she could protest Lilly's look, Chloe had returned to Beca's corner, picking another fitting time to interrupt. _Good work Chloe._

She focussed her eyes on Beca after stumbling over her feet. Lilly chose this moment to disappear, leaving the two alone at the desk.

"Ya know Bec-Becky-Becs, your music tonight is aca-amaaaazeballs."

Apparently Chloe could be flirty when drunk.

That's new.

"Is that so?" Beca mused, telling herself the flirting was merely a result of the alcohol in her friend's system, and nothing more.

Chloe nodded animatedly. "Yep" she replied, popping the 'p'.

"Hmm. Thanks Chlo." She smiled warmly at her.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Beca and Chloe were being watched in their cute interaction. Standing by the entrance to the room, Aubrey and Jesse gave each other knowing looks. Their best friends had it bad for each other.

After another minute of interesting ramblings, Chloe excused herself and waltzed off on wobbly legs to find Amy, who apparently was holding her yellow cup hostage until she agreed to jelly-wrestle with the blonde.

Beca shook her head, chuckling softly as she watched the girl leave. What a strange group of girls she lived with.

As if on cue, Beca's phone dinged from its place in her pocket.

 _Lilly: She likes you._

"There's no way." She muttered to herself.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So first of all, I am so so so so so sorry for taking two weeks to upload this chapter. It turns out, learning three languages at uni is kind of hard work. But now I have heaps written up, so I should be updating a bit more often in the next few weeks :)**

 **Second of all, thank you for all the lovely reviews, and thanks to everyone for reading! And most of all, thanks to iamacrepe – she is amazing with all her ideas!**

 **And lastly, this chapter is kind of a filler, but I will also be posting the next chapter probably later today, so I hope that makes up for it :)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The next day Beca awoke to an eerily silent house. She sat up in bed and looked over at her roommate who was dead to the world after such a big night. The redhead was sprawled out on her bed, the remnants of her make-up that she had not bothered to wash off giving the girl a panda-eyes look. Beca couldn't contain the smirk that immediately presented itself on her own face as she looked at Chloe.

The next thing, or rather person, she saw was Aubrey, also dead to the world, and sleeping on a mattress on the floor by Chloe's bed. The blonde had stayed over, too tired and too drunk to drive home.

Oh the temptation Beca was fighting to throw a bucket of cold water on the uptight blonde. _Mm, better not_ , as Amy would say.

Deciding to begin her day, the DJ headed to the bathroom to shower, most likely being the only inhabitant of the Bellas' House to not sport a hangover this morning.

Maybe her situation had some merits…

Though, as Beca returned from the bathroom, she found herself pausing for a moment as a wave of pain flooded through her stomach. She winced and immediately wrapped both arms around her midsection, bending over as she waited for the moment to pass.

"You okay there?" Came the suddenly awake voice of Aubrey as she sat up.

Beca, startled, stood up straighter and glanced over at the blonde as she thought up an excuse.

"Fine, just starving!" She played it off, removing her arms from her stomach. "How about you?"

If Aubrey was suspicious of this answer, she didn't let on. "I'm good. I didn't drink an excessive amount of alcohol last night, so I'd say I'm definitely feeling better than Chloe will when she wakes up."

Both girls were speaking in low voices in consideration of their still-sleeping friend.

Beca chuckled quietly, "Yeah she had some fun last night."

Aubrey nodded in agreement. "Yep, she'll be swearing on never drinking again, until the next party comes up, and she will do the exact same thing as last night, and then regret it all over again."

"Ha. That doesn't surprise me. I'm going to go see what state everyone else is in." Beca said as she began moving towards the stairs.

"I'll be down there soon."

* * *

The first thing Beca did when she arrived downstairs was move straight in the direction of the main bathroom, in search of some ibuprofen for her roommate, who would no doubt be feeling the after effects of last night at any minute when she woke up. Beca only ever had paracetamol upstairs in their room, and she knew Chloe preferred the stronger ibuprofen. Her next move was to grab a glass of water for the redhead.

In the kitchen, Beca found Stacie and Lilly, the former looking like she had been hit by a truck.

"Hey, how are you two?" Beca greeted.

Stacie dropped her head into her hands and grunted out an 'ughhh'. No response from Lilly.

"Here. Take these." Beca placed two tablets on the counter in front of Stacie.

The tall brunette looked down at the tablets before downing them eagerly.

"You are a legend. Thank you."

Beca chuckled. "It's all good."

She moved to put the kettle on, knowing this might help the girls to wake up and feel human again. Stacie frowned, noticing Beca's unaffected behaviour.

"Why don't you look like death?"

"I didn't drink too much, I was too busy with my music." Beca explained. "And by the looks of it, lucky I didn't."

"Uhuh, I don't even remember what happened last night. Did I miss anything juicy?"

"Hah, no. Just lots of dancing." Beca recalled. She suddenly became aware of Lilly's presence, as she hoped the quiet girl had also forgotten their conversation. But then a terrifying thought entered her mind, as she realised Lilly probably hadn't deleted her texts, so if she _had_ forgotten, she would definitely be reminded.

The DJ felt her body freeze up in panic and she slowly turned away from the coffee she was preparing, to look at Lilly.

Lilly, who was suddenly now absent. Creepy. She would have to talk to her later.

Beca turned back and passed a hot mug of coffee over to Stacie, earning a grateful 'hmm' in response. She then headed back up the two flights of stairs to her bedroom, finding two now-sleeping occupants. Leaving a tray with the ibuprofen, water, and 2 mugs of coffee on the bedside table next to Chloe, the brunette noticed her phone flashing on her own bed.

 _Lilly: Your secret is safe with me._

She smiled, figuring that she shouldn't be surprised by Lilly anymore. That girl was an enigma.

* * *

Chloe woke up to the smell of coffee floating around the room, but soon forgot about this when the heavy pounding of a headache took over her thoughts.

"Ughh. Whyyy do I keep doing this?" she moaned, the rhetorical question aimed at nobody in particular.

"I wonder the same thing Chloe. You really should limit yourself when you drink." Came the response from Aubrey, who was apparently now awake again too.

"I know I should. But self-control is so hard!" She waved her hands in the air in an exasperated fashion. "Gosh I need some painkillers right now." She turned to sit up in bed, and found herself now facing the tray of coffee, water and ibuprofen by her bed.

"Oh em aca-gee. Some beautiful person read my mind before I was even awake. Here Bree, there's a coffee here for you." The redhead passed one of the still-hot mugs over to her friend, who took it gratefully.

"Yeah, I wonder who that could be." Aubrey rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"Aww Beca is so thoughtful!" Chloe cooed.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Here it is, the chapter you may have been waiting for. I hope you enjoy, I'm not really sure how I feel about it, because it wasn't my original plan to have a *certain* event turn out in this way, but oh well.**

 **Thanks to everyone, and thanks to iamacrepe :D**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Beca was sitting in the lounge room a few days later with Chloe and Aubrey, discussing Bellas plans when her dad walked in, having been let in by CR. She looked up in surprise, having seen him only the week before.

"Dad?"

"Beca" He greeted. "Hi girls."

Chloe and Aubrey responded politely. "Hi Dr Mitchell."

He turned back to his daughter, wanting to get straight down to the business of why he was there. She noticed the prominent frown lines on his face, and braced herself for whatever was to come.

"I was hoping to talk to you about why it is that you've been skipping classes recently?" He spoke in a challenging tone, as if he expected an honest, direct reply, and nothing else. After hearing that his daughter was perhaps not putting in as much effort in her classes as she should, Dr Mitchell was frustrated and disappointed, and wanted to find out why that was.

Beca's eyes went wide.

"I was talking with Professor Kane and he mentioned you'd been leaving early and you didn't even turn up to class yesterday – "

The two older girls in the room now were frowning as they were given no choice but to listen in to the conversation happening in front of them. Neither of them liked the idea of Beca skipping classes.

"Dad! How about we go back to your house and talk about it?" She desperately tried to stop anything else from being said in front of her friends, before they could become any more suspicious.

Chloe picked up on the need for privacy. "We could leave if you want." She offered the father and daughter the room.

"No that's okay, we'll go. I'll see you later." Beca's response was abrupt and urgent, as she ushered her father out the front door.

As they got into Dr Mitchell's car, he spoke up, confused by his daughter's reaction.

"Bec, what is going on? Why are you acting so secretive?"

Beca let out a long sigh. "We need to talk about something, seeing as you've given me no choice. And I don't want them," – she nodded her head towards the Bellas' House – "to overhear."

"Okay. Do you want to have dinner with me so we can talk? Sheila is away on business, if you're worried about her overhearing." He had calmed down a bit after Beca's sudden ushering him out of the house. Clearly there was more going on than he realised.

"Sure. Dinner sounds good."

As Dr Mitchell drove the short way to his home, he glanced over at Beca several times, noting her deep-in-thought silence, and the fidgeting of her fingers as they tapped out random beats against her thighs.

"How does Indian take out sound?" He suggested their usual.

"Actually, could we do something else?" Dr Mitchell frowned. Beca never said no to Indian take out.

"We've got some leftover soup in the fridge, how about that?" He gave Beca a worried glance. She simply nodded.

* * *

Back in the Bellas' House...

As soon as the father and daughter had left, Aubrey turned to Chloe.

"What was _that_ about?"

Chloe shrugged, "I have no idea. I'm just as confused as you."

The blonde frowned. "What, Beca doesn't talk to you about this?"

"Nope. She is still kind of reserved with me." Chloe's tone of voice dropped, slightly sad at the statement she was making.

Both girls knew it must have been serious though for Beca to suddenly drag her father out of the house and away from listening ears.

Aubrey was only thinking about how it would affect the Bellas as a group. "Well whatever it is, she better not start skipping out on Bellas practices too."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly, Beca wouldn't do that."

But she couldn't help herself from wondering _why_ Beca was skipping classes, if that was indeed the case, and _why_ she didn't want Chloe or Aubrey to know about it.

* * *

As they sat down at the dinner table to eat and talk, Dr Mitchell spoke up.

"Is everything okay Bec? What is it you wanted to talk about?"

The girl took a sip of her soup whilst she figured out how to begin to respond.

You see, Beca had not spoken to her dad about her illness in years. He was there in the beginning when she was sick, and he stuck around for some of her worse times, but eventually he left Beca and her mom. Not because of the illness, he assured them, but Beca now found it awkward to have to bring up her illness to him, when he hadn't been involved in it for a long while.

The last Dr Mitchell had heard from Beca's mom, their daughter was healthy. Not so much anymore.

Beca kept her gaze fixed on the table in front of her, unwilling to look her father in the eye.

"I've been kind of sick lately." She mumbled out, reluctant to admit to everything that was going on.

Dr Mitchell raised an eyebrow, looking for more information than this very broad explanation.

"Sick as in...?" He prompted.

Beca took a deep breath, as though she was preparing herself to finally give up on the denial.

"My Crohn's disease is flaring up again."

She spoke in a way that suggested she was pained to admit to such a thing. Her face taking on an expression that was unreadable. Even Dr Mitchell couldn't decipher it. Beca herself wasn't quite sure how she was feeling as she spoke those words.

Sure, there was some disappointment in there, frustration, maybe even some relief at having someone else who now knew, and could help her with it, but Beca was still undecided on how to feel about this situation.

At the mention of this, her father looked up at her, softening, a grimace starting to show as he recalled every other time she had been sick when she was younger.

"Oh Beca, I'm so sorry to hear that. I thought you had been going well with your health?"

"I had up until now. I was in my longest remission. But now it's getting a lot worse. _That_ is why I missed class yesterday and have to leave in the middle of class sometimes."

Beca thought back to the day she had spoken with Jesse and he had convinced her to eat something. She only did it to ease his mind, and ultimately regretted it. Halfway through her philosophy lecture, Beca's stomach made itself know, forcing her to rush out of the lecture theater without another thought.

"Oh, I see. I apologize for earlier, I was – "

"No, it's okay. You didn't know, and neither did Professor Kane."

"Have you told any of your professors about the Crohn's?"

Beca shook her head.

"I think you should. You could lose marks for missing class if the professors don't know why you're missing."

"No." Beca was adamant. "The less people that know, the better."

"Beca, come on. Will you let me have a chat with them? They don't have to know the exact reason, just that you are sick."

"No. I don't want to make a deal out of it. Thanks for the offer though."

"Alright then." He admitted defeat. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Actually, yes. I was hoping you could help me find a specialist, and help with sorting it all out?"

Dr Mitchell nodded, eager to help his daughter in any way he could. "Of course, I will ask around with the staff in the Teaching Hospital department."

"Thank you." Beca's tone was very grateful.

"Of course." He smiled back. "So how are you feeling?"

From here, the father and daughter conversed for a lengthy amount of time, as Beca filled Dr Mitchell in on her state of wellbeing. He was relieved to learn that Beca was at least telling Jesse the truth about her situation, and now her father. Their discussion came to an end when Beca began yawning, as she felt the fatigue set in, and Dr Mitchell suggested he drive her back home. Driving the short way, Dr Mitchell requested one thing of his daughter.

"Do me a favour? At least have a think about what I said earlier?"

Beca nodded reluctantly.

"And remember you can always come to me if you aren't feeling well or need something done, or of course just come over for the quiet of the house."

"I will. Thanks Dad. I really appreciate it."

* * *

When she arrived at her and Chloe's room, Beca found her roommate sitting on her bed reading.

"Hi!"

"Hey." Beca went to her cupboard and pulled out some pyjamas.

"What was that about earlier? Your dad said you were missing class?" Chloe questioned.

Beca yawned.

"Oh, it was nothing. I just had to fill in for someone at the radio station on short notice. And Professor Kane dobbed me in."

"Oh. It seemed serious, the way you guys were talking."

Beca's eyes drifted towards the ground and she shifted on her feet nervously. "Uh, yeah he gets that way. You know how invested my dad is in my education." She rolled her eyes.

Chloe nodded in understanding, but she wasn't totally fooled. She hesitated before questioning her friend again.

"Is everything okay? You were gone for a while."

"Yeah, I'm just tired. I'm going to bed." And with that, the brunette entered the bathroom to change, effectively shutting down the conversation, and leaving Chloe with traces of suspicion still in her expression.

* * *

 **Dun dun daaa. Let me know what you thought of it! And have a wonderful day :)**

 **And please bear with me, I think my future chapters will be better than this one was with Beca's secret, I just had to add this reveal in to make the storyline order work. More will be explained later on :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: So, I hope you enjoy this chapter, thanks as always for reading :D**

 **And thank you for the lovely reviews! I love hearing your opinions :D**

 **And as always, a massive thank you to iamacrepe for her amazing help and support with the story!**

 **Have a wonderful day!**

* * *

It was only the next day when Beca received a text message from her father.

 _Dad: You have an appointment with Dr Abigail Griffin on Friday at 9am. She will contact your previous specialist and get your files transferred._

* * *

After that first appointment with Dr Griffin, Beca found herself to be feeling both relief and dread. Relief for having taken the first step to getting better, and dread for what was to happen in between the now and the 'getting better' – blood tests and a colonoscopy. The blood tests were just an inconvenience, but easy enough to deal with. The colonoscopy on the other hand, was more troubling. It was definitely something Beca would be unable to hide from her housemates whilst she was doing the preparation and having to go into hospital. And what's more, Dr Griffin had scheduled Beca's colonoscopy for the following Friday, a day when there was a Bellas rehearsal scheduled.

There was no doubt about it, Beca would not be staying in the Bellas' House for the few days around this appointment. So, as soon as she left the doctor's office, the DJ called her dad and informed him of her situation. Of course, Dr Mitchell immediately suggested Beca stay with him during that time, especially seeing as she needed someone to officially sign her out of hospital and keep an eye on her after the anaesthetic. Surprisingly, Beca agreed straight away. But then again, she had no choice if she wanted to stay under the radar with the Bellas. Beca would just have to figure out what to tell them about where she was and more importantly, why she, a co-captain, was skipping a rehearsal.

Feeling a little freaked out about the whole situation, Beca went home, hoping to calm down with a nice hot shower. She had to remind herself not to allow herself to get too stressed about this, or anything, because that would only make her symptoms worse. But it wasn't easy having to hide everything from her friends, and in a way, deal with this thing on her own. Though she had her father and Jesse as her support – and she was forever grateful for this – it was difficult having no one else to confide in about her condition; none of her Bella sisters to support her; none of the people she lived with. What was even more difficult was having to experience all the symptoms and pretend like nothing was happening, when she lived with bunch of other girls. Hiding the pain. Hiding (well trying to) the exhaustion. Hiding the medications. Hiding how she truly felt.

* * *

Stepping out of the bathroom, Beca sighed in relief, feeling much more relaxed and having come up with a plan of what to tell the Bellas about her coming absence. Hearing Chloe downstairs humming, the brunette decided now was the perfect time to inform her fellow co-captain of her plans.

"Hey Chlo." She announced herself to the redhead whose back was turned to her.

Chloe turned around, happily surprised to see that Beca had joined her in the room. Usually at this time Beca would be studying hard for her classes: she had devoted specific times on certain days for hard-core studying.

"Hey Becs, not studying today?"

"Uh, no. Thought I'd have a day off instead. I'll just go to my afternoon class and skip the studying."

Chloe nodded. "Fair enough." The older girl was currently unpacking the groceries she had just brought home from the store. It seemed that this duty had fallen into the hands of the senior member of the group, as she was the most organised when it came to food and cooking.

"You know you left early this morning. I'm surprised you were even awake at that hour!" She joked, knowing of Beca's love of sleep. It had become a joke amongst the whole group, innocent enough. However, it was Beca's Crohn's disease that was the cause of her need to sleep more than the others.

Beca's eyes fell to the ground for a moment as her expression turned solemn. But half a second later, she was back to normal and responding to her friend. "Yeah, I know. I wanted to get an early start on my study, but it clearly didn't last very long. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about something."

At this, Chloe paused, looking up from what she was doing and giving her full attention to the brunette. She put an encouraging expression on her face in the hopes that it would help Beca's willingness to talk, whatever it may be about.

"Shoot."

"Okay, so my mom is having a family gathering back home to catch up, and I haven't seen her in ages. The only thing is, it is next week, and I'll be gone from Thursday to Saturday, which means missing out on rehearsals on Friday."

"Oh, okay."

"Is it okay if I leave you to run rehearsals with Aubrey just this once? Sorry for the bad timing, but it was the only time mom could get off work."

Chloe smile warmly in reassurance. "Yeah of course. Go ahead. You deserve the break. I'll handle Aubrey if she makes a fuss about it."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely! Don't worry about it Becs."

Beca smiled back ever so gratefully. "Thank you so much." To the surprise of both girls, Beca then reached over and embraced Chloe in a hug.

"Aww. Now I feel all warm and fuzzy." The redhead giggled as she returned the embrace. "You've gone soft, DJ."

Beca immediately pulled back, scowling good-humouredly. "Have not!"

* * *

When the day finally came for Beca to begin the preparation for her scope, she was all set up in her Dad's house, with her laptop and mixing equipment ready to counter the boredom that would inevitably come.

She had just begun to drink the horrible prep solution when her phone lit up, with a message from Jesse.

 _Jesse: Hey Becaw! How's it going?_

 _Beca: *rolls eyes* I have to drink heaps of this disgusting, vile, puke-worthy liquid. And then I get to look forward to having said liquid force everything out the other end. How do you think it's going?_

 _Jesse: Keeping up the good spirits I see_

 _Beca: Bite me._

 _Jesse: Do you want someone to keep you company? Maybe it will help pass the time better?_

 _Beca: Thanks for the thought, but no thanks. I won't be great company to anyone right now. Have fun with your classes_

 _Jesse: I hope it's not too horrible for you today. Let me know how everything goes tomorrow._

 _Beca: Thanks dude. I will. And there had better be no surprise visits from you._

 _Jesse: No, I value my life. But if you need anything, let me know. I'll see you later._

It didn't take long before the prep drink did its job, and soon enough Beca found herself being driven to the hospital the next morning, ready for her scope.

* * *

When she finally came to, a few hours later, Beca was feeling quite out of it still. It was like everything was going in slow motion and she couldn't keep her eyes open long enough to focus in on anything.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Beca turned her head to find her father sitting in a chair beside her bed.

"Mhmm. Tired." She managed to reply.

"You will be able to go home soon and then you can sleep all you want." Came the voice of Dr Griffin, now standing at the end of her bed, smiling softly at her patient.

Fortunately, as the moments went by, Beca began to feel more and more alert to the world.

"Awesome." She still lacked some enthusiasm, as evident by the yawn that followed.

The doctor and her father both chuckled at this, before Dr Griffin got down to business.

"So Beca, everything looks okay at this stage, there is some inflammation throughout your digestive tract, which is expected based on your symptoms, and I would like to meet with you next week to discuss treatment options. Any questions?" She handed a card with the details of Beca's next appointment to the girl.

"Nope."

"Okay then, I will see you next week. I want you to take it easy for the next few days."

Beca found herself sleeping away the rest of the day, her body worn out by the whole ordeal, which was to be expected. Though her stomach was empty, she skipped dinner. The DJ was feeling quite sore and sensitive, from being prodded and poked from the inside. Before she went to sleep for the night though, she made sure to message Jesse to reassure him that everything had gone well.

The next day would be interesting, when she returned to the chaos that was the Bellas' House.

* * *

When Beca walked in the door that next day, happy to be home – even though she had only been ten minutes away – she was ambushed by her friends. Fat Amy was the first to reach her, and she wrapped the tiny brunette up in a bone-crushing hug.

"Ahhh!"

"Beca! We missed you. Rehearsals sucked without you! Aubrey made us do vertical running!"

It took a moment for the shock of being ambushed to die down, and for Beca to register that she was in pain. An 'ow' escaped her lips before she could stop herself. She was still a little sore in her stomach.

Amy pulled back. "What's wrong? What did they do to you over there?"

"Huh? Oh nothing's wrong, you give some monster hugs though Amy!"

"Oops, maybe I was too enthusiastic." Fat Amy now had a guilty look working its way over her face.

In their usual joking fashion, Beca responded to this by holding up her hand with thumb and pointer finger a couple millimetres apart. "Tiny bit, yeah."

As Beca moved further into the house, she was greeted by all the other girls, each one giving her a welcoming hug. One person however held back, seemingly reserved about the situation.

When the DJ reached Chloe, they walked up to their room together, the redhead helping carry her bags up the stairs.

"Hey Becs."

"Hey Chlo."

"How was the family gathering?"

Internally, the brunette cringed, realising she would once again have to lie to her best friend.

"It was okay. Exhausting though. I feel like I could sleep for a month."

Chloe chuckled.

They had now made it into their bedroom, and the two set Beca's bags down on her bed.

"Well, we missed you. If you didn't figure it out from your welcome party just now." She was grinning.

"I was only gone for two and a half days. There was no time to miss me." Beca smiled back.

Chloe moved over to give her a warm and gentle hug. "We still missed you."

Beca leaned into the embrace. "Me too. I'm glad I'm home."

* * *

Later that night, Chloe and Stacie were sitting in the kitchen downstairs, enjoying a midnight snack. Some of the girls had cooked up a delicious lasagne for lunch, and both Chloe and Stacie had the same thought on their minds when they stayed up late, chatting: _I'm hungry._

As they sat there in a comfortable silence, a thought popped into the redhead's mind.

"Stacie?"

Stacie had a mouthful of food as she attempted a response. "Mpfhmm?"

"Have you noticed anything different about Beca?"

Stacie swallowed. "What do you mean?"

Chloe thought for a moment on how to explain her question. There were just a handful of things that Beca had said or done which seemed a little off. And Stacie, being the med student, would perhaps have noticed in more detail.

"I don't know exactly, but she is always tired, and she seems to be avoiding eating sometimes. I just get the feeling she is hiding something."

"Well, for one she just got back from a full-on few days with her family, so that would be enough to tire anyone out. And she probably ate a lot while she was there too." Stacie's initial response was one without much thought, as she explained away Chloe's immediate reasons for being suspicious of her roommate.

Chloe shook her head. "No, I'm talking about all the other times she skips dinner or spends heaps of time in the bathroom, or acts suspicious. Last week I got home in the afternoon and she was already in bed asleep."

Now Stacie was paying attention. Her mind went back to the morning when she questioned Beca herself about why she was sick after their 'bonding night', and then to the scar she saw. But, she remembered, the DJ had been very reluctant to admit to the scar, and she probably wouldn't appreciate it at all if Stacie were to tell Chloe about it behind her back. Perhaps she would just have to question Beca directly _again_ about whatever it was she was hiding.

Coming to the decision to not entertain Chloe's suspicion, for the benefit of Beca's privacy, Stacie shrugged it off again.

"You know, I haven't noticed anything in particular. Don't you think Beca would tell you if there was something going on with her?"

Chloe frowned. "I guess so." She didn't sound convinced. But she didn't have to, because her mind was torn out of its track by the sound of footsteps making their way down the stairs. Both girls remained quiet, until the small figure of the Bella in question made its appearance in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Beca, hey." Stacie spoke up, smiling.

"Hi. What are you guys doing up at this hour?" Beca rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she woke up properly.

Chloe motioned towards the large container, still full of food, on the table. "Midnight snack. Help yourself, surely you must be hungry?"

Beca hesitated, thinking about her stomach. It was still feeling a little iffy.

"No, not really. I'll pass."

This did nothing to ease the suspicion in Chloe's, and now Stacie's mind. Beca hadn't eaten a single thing since she arrived back home. And both girls in front of her knew it. The DJ had been resting upstairs since she returned home, and had slept through lunch time.

What they were not aware of, was the small meal that Beca had tried to eat for breakfast, before she returned home. And the discomfort it brought with it.

"Are you sure? It really is delicious."

Beca moved towards the cupboard this time, speaking as she went. "Yeah, I'm sure. I just came to get a glass of water. I'm going back to bed now."

"Oh okay, sleep tight."

"Yeah, we will see you in the morning." Both girls had small smiles on their faces, though neither one really felt reassured.

"Good night." Beca gave a small but warm smile as she bid them good night and returned to her bed.

The second she was gone though, a very meaningful look was shared between the two remaining occupants of the room.

* * *

...

* * *

Soon enough, the day came for Beca to go back and see Dr Griffin to follow up on her results. Going under the pretence of leaving early for work at the radio station, she managed to escape any suspicion as she left the house.

This didn't last long.

As Beca came out of the doctor's office after her appointment, she found herself face to face with none other than Stacie.

They both remained silent for a moment as each Bella came to conclusions on why the other was there.

Beca felt like she could have slammed her own head on a desk for not realising that she could run into her friend here. She had listened when Stacie bounded around the house excitedly telling anyone and everyone that she had been accepted into a volunteer program at a clinic in the medical school hospital on campus. And yet for some reason it had never occurred to Beca that the clinic she would be visiting would be the one that Stacie volunteered at.

Stacie's thoughts were running in a direct line, following the evidence in front of her: Beca... Visiting the doctor... Said doctor being a specialist in treating certain digestive diseases... Beca showing symptoms earlier in the term... Skipping lunch... Alcohol making her run to the bathroom... Sleeping lots... The surgery that lead to the scar. It all made sense now.

 _Oh shit. Beca has Crohn's disease._

"Beca," she began to say, but before she could go anywhere with it, the girl in question had fled the scene.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I hope you enjoy :) Thanks to iamacrepe!**

* * *

"Beca, you have Crohn's disease?!" Stacie's tone was one of shock, despite any suspicions she may have previously had.

"I can't talk right now Stacie, I have to get to the radio station." Beca was insistent on ignoring the matter at hand. She kept her head down and continued walking.

"Seriously? You know you won't get away with it that easily. I was nice and I let you be after my first suspicions, and when I saw the scar, but I'm done with that now. If you don't talk, I'll keep bugging you until you do. I might even be forced to recruit the Bellas to assist me…" she trailed off threateningly.

Though this may have been extreme to threaten, Stacie was truly worried about Beca's wellbeing, and would do whatever she could to help out. And that meant knowing the full story of the DJ's condition.

At Stacie's words, Beca stopped in her tracks, seemingly frozen. They were about halfway to the radio station by the time the taller girl had caught up with the shorter brunette – for someone with such short legs, she walked surprisingly fast when she was avoiding someone – and now they were at a standstill in the middle of the grass.

Beca turned around to face her friend, a panicked look in her eyes. In true 'Beca Badass Mitchell' fashion though, the girl managed to keep up her usual attitude when she replied.

"That is _not_ fair!" Her words came through gritted teeth, as she gave a world-class glare to the tall brunette.

As Stacie spoke up to respond, Beca's eyes averted from the previous stare, and began nervously glancing around. She started fidgeting with her hands: clearly Beca was uncomfortable with this situation.

"I know, but it's the only way you were going to talk to me. I'm worried about you!" Stacie's voice softened, pleading with the girl in front of her.

Beca finally brought her eyes back to land on Stacie's, seeing the honesty there and realising that she really had no choice but to talk. It's not like she could avoid the girl for the next three years when they lived in the same house.

What she did have a choice in though, was how public that talk would be.

She sighed deeply in resignation.

"You know what? Fine I'll talk, but first you have to buy me coffee." Stacie nodded eagerly. "Meet me at the radio station, I'll explain things there. Actually, make it a hot chocolate." And with that, she turned on her heel, closing her eyes briefly as she considered what this would mean for her 'secret'. Not that it was really a secret anymore.

The tiny brunette, in her almost-panic, had chosen quite a fast pace without thinking, and was surprised with herself when she arrived moments later at the station, out of breath.

Stacie remained frozen in her spot as Beca turned her back to her, walking off, recovering from the shock of said girl actually _agreeing_ to talk about her secret. Admittedly, she was forced into it, but the taller girl did not actually think she'd take the bait so easily. Stacie figured it was entirely possible that Beca _would_ try and avoid her for the next three years.

She blinked for a moment, and then went on her way to the nearest coffee shop, the cogs in her mind turning as she realised Beca had changed her order as a cautionary thing. She guessed Beca's stomach didn't like the strength of coffee so much.

* * *

When Beca heard the door open and close quietly a short while after arriving herself, she took a deep breath and turned to face the music, so to speak.

Stacie made her way to where Beca was now leaving the booth, looking around for any sign of life besides the two of them. Beca accepted the hot drink she had handed over with a quiet 'thanks', and answered the unspoken question.

"No one else is here."

Stacie nodded. "Cool." Her eyes remained firmly planted on Beca's, waiting for the girl to answer her earlier question.

Beca took a sip of her hot chocolate before moving over to lean against the closest wall, which was conveniently located in front of the station's couch.

"Soooo…" She drew out the word, as if hoping it would prolong the inevitable.

Stacie followed and took a seat on the couch, waiting patiently.

Beca finally took the plunge.

"Okay. Yes. I uhh… I have Crohn's disease." She sounded almost defeated. She hadn't spoken those words aloud in a very long time. And now that she had, the response she was receiving was a look of sympathy. _Great._

Beca was now awaiting a verbal response, likely one full of questions. She crossed her arms, as an expression of grim nature settled itself on her face. Letting people in and sharing personal information with them was definitely not one of her strong points.

Stacie's mind, after receiving the confirmation from her apparently ill friend, had transitioned quickly into medical student mode, as she recalled everything she had read about this condition, identifying the important questions. Beca could literally see the girl squinting from trying to remember everything.

"And you're flaring up at the moment?" Stacie asked warily, a sombre expression adorning her face. She was of course referring to the dual nature of Crohn's disease: active and flaring up versus inactive and in remission. Or more simply, healthy versus sick.

"Mmhm."

"Do you mind telling me what's going on?" Stacie asked softly, aware that there would probably be a point in the conversation where Beca would shut down and hide behind her walls again. And the wall behind her.

The Bella in question glanced around the room, considering what she was willing to share with the med student.

"I don't know what you want me to say…" She trailed off, shrugging her shoulders slightly, allowing for Stacie to clarify.

"Well, how bad is it? What meds are you on? Have you told anyone? Chloe?"

Another deep breath. "One: it is 'moderate' according to Dr Griffin, so it's manageable. Two:" she was counting off with her fingers as she went. "Two: I'm just starting Humira on top of my other maintenance meds. And three: No. Only my family and Jesse know, from when I was first diagnosed – I was 14 –" Answering another unspoken question. "And now you apparently. I have not told Chloe, nor do I plan on doing so. And let's make one thing clear. You DO NOT tell anyone about this, got it?" Beca had now turned into person-of-authority Beca, whom no one dared mess with. She was giving Stacie a serious look that meant ' _you better agree or else'_. Stacie returned this with a reassuring half-smile.

"Of course I wouldn't tell anyone without your permission. But I really think you should tell Chloe and Aubrey, so that they know if you aren't well enough to run rehearsals one day or something. I mean, I feel a lot better knowing that at least _I_ know about it now. But –" She was cut off by a very firm voice.

"– No 'buts'. _You_ know. We live in the same house. That should be plenty enough to ease your mind. Though there is no reason for it to be uneasy in the first place. I'm fine, Stace." Beca reassured her friend.

She had been dealing with these issues for a long time now, and it was not big news to be going through a flare-up once again. To Beca, it was familiar, just something to be dealt with before moving on.

Stacie leaned back against the couch she was sitting on, accepting Beca's words reluctantly.

"Alright. One more question." She looked up at Beca, who was still being supported by the wall, and receiving a nod of the head, prompting her forward.

"The scar… Was that because of the Crohn's?"

Beca was wondering when this would come up. She nodded her head again slowly and solemnly.

"Yeah, I had a resection a couple years ago. There was too much scarring in part of my small intestine."

"Ah." Stacie nodded in understanding.

"Yeah."

"You know, I'm really sorry you have to deal with all this. It would kind of suck."

Beca shrugged. "Shit happens. I'm fine, so you can stop giving me the sad sympathy eyes dude." She brushed it off. She finally stood up, free of the wall, and turned to re-enter the booth.

Before Stacie had arrived, the DJ had lined up a few songs to play on the radio, and it was now getting close to time to put the next mix on.

But as soon as she had turned to go, Beca spun back around, appearing indecisive in what she was doing.

Then, with however much awkwardness Beca Mitchell could bring to this kind of situation, she spoke up again.

"Uhm, thank you. You know, for caring. I do appreciate it Stace." She gave a small smile.

The taller brunette smiled back appreciatively as she too stood up.

"Anytime. Let me know if I can ever do anything to help." She offered, taking a sip of her now-cold coffee.

Beca nodded back, unsure of how else to respond.

"I'll see you back at the house later, okay?"

"Yep, see you later." The DJ turned back to the booth, hearing the door open and close, marking Stacie's exit.

* * *

Only a few days later Beca asked to have a word with the medical student after a Bellas rehearsal, much to the confusion of Chloe and Aubrey. Neither had thought the two to be very close, and they knew the two younger Bellas were not in any classes together.

Stacie waiting until Beca caught up with her, and they continued to walk out of the auditorium, sweaty and breathless from the gruelling practice routine.

"Hey, what's up?" Stacie asked.

Beca looked around, waiting until they were out of earshot of any of their friends.

"You know when you offered to help with anything the other day?"

Stacie nodded, surprised that Beca was coming to her willingly about this. She raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, and the offer still stands." She reassured.

Beca rubbed the back of her neck with her hand as they walked, apparently feeling awkward about this exchange. It was definitely a new experience asking for help.

"Well, I got the Humira from the drug store yesterday, and I was wondering if you could maybe help me with the injections the first time? I've never had to do anything like that before." She felt out of her depth in this situation, and so having a friend who was a med student would hopefully be of advantage here.

"Oh absolutely. We've been practicing with needles and injections in class so I probably won't kill you." She joked with a wink.

Beca glared back. "Funny." She deadpanned.

"Tell you what. I'll come up to your room tonight before dinner, and we'll do it then."

Beca thought about it for a moment, before nodding slowly.

"Chloe's on cooking duty tonight, right?" Another nod. "Then she won't interrupt."

"What about your room?" Beca was referring to the fact that Stacie had her own bedroom, since her original roommate, Lilly, had decided to instead set up camp in the basement. Creepy.

"Your room has an ensuite, a bathroom is better than a bedroom for this. It's cleaner and more space and what-not."

"Right. Good idea. Thanks Stacie."

"Any time Beca. I've got to get to class now, see you later." And with that, the tall brunette took off towards the health sciences building, waving at a friend she found along the way.

Beca turned around to make her way back home, and found herself immediately making eye-contact with Chloe further down the path, Aubrey at her side as they moved in her direction.

"Hey Beca! Where are you headed?" Beca was amazed at how chirpy the redhead sounded, after such a workout at rehearsals.

"Uhm, ah I'm going home." She motioned with her hands, attempting to find the right direction to point in, before realising she wasn't sure. To be fair, there were lots of turns on the path from the auditorium to the Bellas' house.

"Oh, well Bree and I were just going to have lunch before my next class, did you want to come eat with us?" There was a definite glimmer of hope in Chloe's eyes as she offered this, though somehow Beca missed it. She was too busy thinking up an excuse to say no. Chloe was a hard person to say no to. But Beca's stomach was just beginning to feel unsettled, and she knew this would soon lead to nausea and a wicked stomach ache. Not that it had ever made her puke, but it wasn't something you would mix with food if given a choice. And Beca was.

"I can't sorry, I have to meet my dad later." She lied, feeling the guilt set in too.

It was Aubrey's turn to narrow her eyes at the brunette as she turned down her best friend. Clearly the hobbit was not catching on to Chloe's fondness of her. The blonde rolled her eyes.

"Maybe next time." Chloe offered after shrugging her shoulders.

As Beca walked away, Chloe couldn't help wondering what she had done to make the brunette avoid her, despite that not being the actual case.

Aubrey picked up on Chloe's disappointment immediately. "Hey, it's not your fault she's avoiding you Chloe. Beca is just being plain old weird and awkward Beca. Totally normal." She reasoned.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go eat, I'm starving."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: This is a filler of sorts. But I needed to split it up from chapter 12 so that one wasn't too long.**

 **Anyway, enjoy :) And as always, iamacrepe is awesome :D Thanks to everyone for reading and following and reviewing :)**

* * *

When Beca arrived home that evening after her shift at the radio station, she immediately found Chloe in the kitchen, cooking dinner.

"Hey Beca." The redhead greeted, ever so happy as usual.

Beca gave a small wave as she entered the kitchen. "Hi."

"I had the radio on earlier, your set was aca-awesome!"

Beca smiled gratefully. "Thanks Chlo, I'm glad you liked it." _Some of those songs I mixed_ for _you._

"Hey is Stacie around? I need to talk to her about something."

Chloe's expression immediately changed, into one of almost disappointment, mixed with suspicion.

"Ah, no I don't think she's back yet. I think she has a night class around this time."

"Oh yeah." Beca seemed deep in thought. "Well I'm going to go work on some mixes upstairs."

Chloe nodded. "See you at dinner?" She was hoping the answer would be 'yes', as she thought about the possibility of Beca not eating lunch earlier that day.

Beca hesitated, before agreeing, thinking it would be a good idea to get some nutrition into her. And she was feeling good tonight, so hopefully the Crohn's wouldn't play up.

"Yeah. I'll see you in a bit." And with that, she left, climbing the stairs to their bedroom.

The DJ settled on her bed with her laptop and headphones in one ear, leaving the other open to listen out for Stacie's return, as she fiddled with her music software.

It wasn't long before Beca heard the soft sound of footsteps climbing the stairs to join her in the room. A moment later, Stacie's head popped up into Beca's sight.

"Ready to do this?"

Beca raised her eyebrows, questioningly. "Do I have a choice?"

Stacie gave a thumbs up. "Good attitude!"

Beca reluctantly stood up from her bed, and opened her forbidden drawer, pulling out four pen-shaped medicine injectors.

As she did so, Stacie spoke up, wanting to further discuss the shorter girl's illness.

"So Beca, I was doing some research on Crohn's during my lecture."

Beca raised a single eyebrow at this in a teasing way, "Tsk tsk, not paying attention in a lecture, you should be ashamed of yourself." She joked. Yup, there's nothing wrong with Beca. Sarcasm still intact.

Stacie rolled her eyes.

"And what exactly did you find out?" Beca was curious where this was going.

"Actually I have a question for you."

Beca didn't respond, so Stacie continued.

"Your scar, you said you had a resection, right?"

Beca nodded. "Yeah I did. Near the end of senior year at high school."

"Did the surgery put you into remission?"

"Yeah. It lasted over a year. Longest remission I've ever had. That surgery took out the part of my intestine that was affected by the Crohn's." She was very grateful for the surgery, as it left her symptom-free for so long. Something she had only dreamed of in the years of suffering beforehand. Obviously, surgery wasn't the first choice for treatment; there was always the hope that medication could control the disease. But in cases where there was too much damage, or nothing else was effective, it became the best option.

Stacie nodded her head as the pieces fit together in her mind a little better now.

"And now you are flaring up –" She was cut off as Beca finished the sentence for her, knowing where her friend was going with it.

"Now I am flaring up in another part of my intestine."

"I see, that makes more sense now."

"Yeah, so let's get this over and done with." Beca handed the medicine pens along with an instruction booklet over to her friend. Stacie agreed, and began to read the instructions, just for reference.

"Alright, so we have to stab you with four of these, yes?" She recalled from her research and her time volunteering.

Beca nodded. The first time, she had to have four doses, which meant four injections. But then she would only have two doses at the next treatment day, which was two weeks later, and finally only one injection every two weeks after that.

Stacie prepared the first injection pen, showing Beca as she went. "Where would you like it?"

"Let's go with the thigh. I'm not letting you anywhere near my butt." Beca pointed seriously at Stacie.

"Okay then, here goes." Stacie stuck the needle in and waited the ten seconds for the medicine to completely empty into Beca's thigh tissue.

"Fuuuuck! Dude that stings like hell!" Beca winced, feeling the sting as the drug spread from the site of injection.

Stacie raised her eyebrows, concerned. "Sorry Bec, it does that. I thought it'd be better if I didn't warn you about the sting beforehand. Otherwise you wouldn't have let me do it."

Beca gave Stacie a pointed look, almost glaring at her tall friend. But then she realised she was right.

"Yeah okay. Next one, and then I'll try doing the one after that."

Three injections and a string of swearing later, and they were finished.

Beca rubbed both her thighs in pain, as the leftover sting gradually faded.

"Well, thanks for that I guess. Though I'm not sure if I should be thanking you for causing me so much pain." Beca half-glared at Stacie, all in good humour.

Stacie laughed. "My pleasure." But then she reconsidered her wording. "Well, not really. I didn't actually want to hurt you, believe it or not. How are you feeling?"

Beca thought for a moment. "No different. _Should_ I be feeling anything in particular?" She knew there were possible side effects, as with all medications.

"No. It is different for each person. Some people get headaches or feel nauseous or tired after their injections, so just watch out for that. It might happen to you, or it might not. And it might take a while before the Humira begins to work, and you start to feel better."

Beca nodded, storing the information directly into her memory, in a box labelled 'Important shit'.

"We should probably go downstairs now, Chloe said dinner would be ready soon."

Beca's eyes widened. "You spoke to Chloe?"

Stacie immediately understood where Beca was going with her question. "Yes, but I didn't say anything about this." – she indicated to the empty Humira pens on the bench – "Don't worry Beca, I know how to keep a secret." She reassured her friend.

Beca nodded. "Thank you."

* * *

Back downstairs, Chloe had seen Stacie go upstairs, and heard further footsteps as the tall brunette presumably ascended the stairs to hers and Beca's room. The redhead had watched on in suspicion, wondering what was going on between the two. They had been spending more time together recently, and it didn't sit right with Chloe.

 _Forget about it. It's none of your business Chloe._ She told herself, as she turned to chat with Jessica, who had joined her in the kitchen to help with the cooking.

By the time they were finished preparing the meal, all of the girls had made their way downstairs into the dining room, helping set the table and pour drinks and what-not.

Beca was glad to be feeling hungry and well enough to eat her dinner without major concerns over her stomach, and she wasn't the only one. Both Stacie and Chloe smiled internally as the DJ ate her dinner without much reservation. Beca was lucky that she was still able to eat some meals without it affecting her stomach.

Soon enough though, Beca began to feel a deep feeling of exhaustion flood through her body. Apparently she wasn't immune to the side effects of the Humira. Stacie, sitting across from her at the table, picked up on the sudden change in Beca's appearance, and started clearing empty plates from the table, hoping to push all the girls to get up so Beca could make her escape.

It worked, and the group slowly spread out around the house, some washing up, others going to study, others moving towards the lounge room to watch a movie.

Fortunately for Beca, Chloe got caught up in the bustle of movement, and was whisked away to the lounge room before she could argue.

So the short brunette made her way up to her bedroom unnoticed, and once there, she swallowed her pills, and slid into bed, too tired to do anything else.

When Chloe eventually made it upstairs to go to bed, she found her roommate fast asleep in bed.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: First of all, thank you. I love you all, and really appreciate every one of you for reading/following/favouriting/reviewing and of course, for existing :)**

 **And to the people who reviewed, thank you guys, it really made my week to get such kind reviews! I feel so warm and fuzzy :D**

 **Second of all, a MASSIVE thank you goes to iamacrepe, because this chapter, and the two after it (they follow on) was all her idea, I just wrote it. I hope I did it justice. So give her some love :)**

 **Lastly, I hope you enjoy the chapter :D**

* * *

"Good work today girls! We are so gonna kick ass at regionals next month!" Chloe exclaimed after a very satisfyingly successful rehearsals one afternoon. Things were going really well with the Bellas. Beca had chosen a great set list, to which Chloe had happily agreed. The choreography was matching the music nicely so far, and all the girls were doing what they were meant to do. With the exception of Fat Amy's cardio, but she still managed to pull off all the dance moves, so the captains let that slide.

And most importantly, they had _won_ the riff-off the night before.

As with the previous year, the riff-off was held in the empty swimming pool at BU. And it was even more spectacular than the year before, everyone stepping up their game. The resulting sound was amazing. After several rounds of mind-blowing acapella, only the Barden Bellas and the Treblemakers were left standing. They had a record-long back and forth exchange before finally it came to an end, thanks to a freshman Treblemaker stepping in and messing up the lyrics. A very unfortunate mishap for Jesse and his team. But it was all in good fun.

Beca and Chloe had been particularly proud and pleased with how the Bellas performed in each of their songs; their combined sounds flowed seamlessly. They stayed up well into the morning hours, excitedly discussing arrangements and plans for future aca-events. Yeah, you could say the riff-off was a success for the Bellas.

So the next day, in true Chloe fashion, the redhead decided that a treat was in order for the group.

"Let's get home, wash up and then I think it's time for a pizza night in celebration of everyone's good work and our victory. What do you guys think?" She asked, looking around at her team mates.

"Sounds great"

"YESSS pizza!"

"I'm in!"

Along with these there were a handful of heads nodding and some more yes's in response. Aubrey was there to remind them that this was a one-off thing. "Just this once". They couldn't have anyone becoming too unfit in the lead up to a competition.

Chloe's voice piped up again, "What about you, Beca?"

Beca remained quiet, contemplating on whether she could get out of this one. Once again, her stomach had decided to grace her with some nausea, which made eating less than tempting at this moment. But Aubrey's stern eyes reminded her that this was a _team_ exercise, and Beca soon realised it would be bad form for a captain to pike out, seeing as there would be no big reveal happening anytime soon in regards to her secret.

"You're too thin Beca, you need this pizza" Amy tried to encourage in an unusual way. This only frustrated Beca, she couldn't help it if her body was working against itself and that caused her to lose weight.

Chloe then gave the brunette absolutely no choice in the matter.

"You still owe us for skipping out on lunch last time remember?"

Beca relented. Who could say no to those bright blue orbs anyway, really?

"Don't worry, I'm coming. Why would I ever want to miss out on _pizza_ night?" Her voice picked up in the end, reminding the girls of how much she loved pizza. The thought of her Crohn's reacting to eating this pizza was soon pushed to the back of the DJ's mind as she got caught up in the fuss of walking home with the rest of the group, and then getting ready to go out.

* * *

Nearly 2 hours later – because let's face it, girls take forever to get ready – the 10 Barden Bellas and their honorary manager/co-captain strolled into the popular pizza restaurant nearby the campus. They managed to snag a corner booth, fitting them all in nicely and giving a good view of the entire restaurant. It was Flo's first time eating at this pizza place, and from what it sounded like, according to her bizarre stories, it would also be the first time she had eaten all-American pizza. This made it all the more exciting because, if you ask Fat Amy, introducing someone to American pizza is comparable to changing their life forever.

They placed their orders, and soon enough the plates of deliciousness arrived at the table. Understandably hungry from their earlier workout, each of the girls dug in eagerly, even Beca, whose nausea had been kind enough to settle down for the time being.

In between mouthfuls of pizza, Stacie and Cynthia Rose had begun a game, where they would look around the restaurant and find a person to point out to one of the Bellas, who would then have to decide on the spot if they would date that person, giving reasons. A strange game, yet one that seemed to work out in quite the entertaining sense.

"Okay Chloe, how about that guy that just walked in?" Cynthia Rose asked nodding her head towards the door.

"Ooh he's hot!" Stacie added.

Chloe turned around in her seat to get a better view, her eyes widening as she realised who it was that had entered.

Unfortunately, it was around this time that the food hit the point in Beca's stomach, where her body decided it didn't like what was going on. Her hand immediately wrapped around her midsection, holding it tightly as she tried to quell the pain. But as it continued, Beca struggled to keep focus on what was going on at the table. She began to sweat, a by-product of the pain caused by all the movement occurring in the tiny girl's stomach.

Ignoring CR's question, Chloe got up out of her seat to approach the guy who had been pointed out.

"That's Chris!" she mumbled to the girls as she left the table.

"I think that's a yes to the date" Stacie joked to the rest of the table.

Though it seemed to everyone else at the table that Chloe was the one approaching Chris, she had seen the recognition in his eyes the moment she turned to look at the guy, and knew he would come over for a chat. So the redhead had taken things into her own control and met him on the other side of the room, avoiding having to chat in front of a group of gossip-oriented girls.

After a quick glance over at Chloe, resulting in a suspicious look on her face, this was concealed as Beca closed her eyes in a wince of pain for a millisecond before reopening. She had to make sure to keep up appearances in front of the Bellas. But upon opening her eyes Beca found herself the object of focus of one medical student's attention, which gave a questioning look in concern for her friend.

The response was an almost imperceptible shake of the head in reassurance.

Beca, being her usual self was pretending everything was fine and trying to not show any sign of how she felt. This was soon becoming a losing battle. The pain was only intensifying and was now accompanied by a very unsettling feeling in the pit of her gut.

In this instant, all of the girls had forgotten about the pizza left in front of them, and had zeroed in on the conversation happening across the room. No one could quite hear the words that were being spoken, however it appeared as though Chloe was enjoying the conversation, and Chris was definitely doing some flirting with his body language as they spoke.

* * *

Beca, still feeling ill, chose this moment to discretely leave the table and hastily make her way in the direction of the bathroom out the back. Even Stacie was too absorbed in this interaction to fully register what was happening with Beca. However, two eyes did follow the DJ's movement, those belonging to a certain uptight blonde, as she got the impression that Beca was escaping from having to watch Chloe be flirted with.

By now though, Beca's stomach pains had become even worse, and were causing the brunette to hunch over, her face contorting in pain as she leant over the sink. She took a quick glance at the mirror in front of her, and was shocked at the sudden pale hue her face had taken. This was not looking good.

Thinking it would be best to leave and rest up at her dad's house, Beca sent off a quick text asking Dr Mitchell to come pick her up. But she was given no time to check for a response, when moments later, her stomach seized up in further objection, forcing the girl make a dash into one of the bathroom stalls, expelling everything she had just eaten. Thankfully the bathroom was empty of people.

* * *

Back at the Bellas table, Chloe had returned sighing in relief to finally escape Chris.

"I'm glad that's over." She rolled her eyes, frustrated.

"What do you mean? From here it looked like you two were more than getting along." Cynthia Rose queried suggestively, with raised eyebrows.

"He was clearly flirting with you!" Aubrey pointed out.

"I know he was. I just don't want him to. He's in my English lit class and he can't take the hint that I'm not interested!" Chloe replied, exasperated.

"You're too nice Chloe." Aubrey offered.

"Just tell him straight out, if he can't take the hint he needs to be set straight, no matter how harsh it is." Stacie was very experienced in the area of boys and was giving some good advice. Fat Amy was nodding exaggeratedly in agreement.

Chloe took a bite of her previously abandoned slice of pizza before responding.

"I wish. But we have a group project to work on, and I don't want it to get awkward while we still have heaps of work to do. That's the only reason I went over to talk to him."

The girls all nodded in sympathy, understanding of the uncomfortable situation Chloe was in.

"So if you're not interested in _him_ does that mean there _is_ someone you're interested in?" Amy was intent on getting some good gossip before the night was done.

At this, Aubrey glanced curiously over at her best friend, wondering how she was going to respond, given that Aubrey still remembered the conversation they had at Hood Night, with Chloe's confession.

"Wait, where's Beca?" Chloe became distracted from the question, suddenly noticing the absence of her roommate. She scanned the room, as if expecting to find the brunette to pop up in another corner of the room.

The Bellas all glanced around at each other, giving sly meaningful looks as they made connections between Amy's question and Chloe's next words, no matter the truth of the situation. Chloe _could_ have just realised Beca's absence _without_ being led to it by a question about crushes. _Hah_ , they thought, _not_ _likely_.

But it was Aubrey who gave Chloe a serious answer. "I think she went to the bathroom."

"Couldn't stand to watch you and Chris flirt, eh?" Amy nudged Chloe.

The redhead totally missed the point of that comment. "I was _not_ flirting, it was all Chris!" She spoke indignantly.

"Beca's been gone a while, I might go check on her." Chloe stood up decisively and made her way back to the Ladies' room, gently pushing the door open and glancing inside.

"Beca?" No response. She checked all of the stalls, finding each and every one of them empty. Beca must have left to go home early. Without telling anyone. Without telling _Chloe_.

The redhead felt upset at this, as though her best friend didn't care enough to let her know that she was leaving. Only now did she think back to Fat Amy's words. _Did the interaction with Chris make Beca uncomfortable and that's why she left? Why would Beca be uncomfortable with that?_ Now Chloe was definitely confused. She wanted to find Beca and ask her why she'd left, STAT.

* * *

 **Dun dun daaaa...**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Here ya go, another update :)**

 **Thanks to everyone as always, and thanks to iamacrepe!**

 **I hope you enjoy :D**

* * *

After finishing up her puking session in the bathroom, Beca had cleaned herself up, not even attempting to cover up her dishevelled and ill appearance. A quick rinse of the mouth would have to do, seeing as she really couldn't be bothered doing much more, and she intended on not showing her face back in the restaurant for the rest of the night. The tiny brunette disappeared out the back door of the restaurant, evading any watching eyes from her friends. Her dad had immediately texted back, saying he was on the way, and he pulled up by the back door only minutes later.

Little did Beca know, it was quite the close call she had: there were mere seconds between the moment she had left the restaurant and the moment Chloe had started looking for her.

Still clutching her stomach, Beca leaned against the cool window of the car and closed her eyes in exhaustion as her dad drove the short drive back to his home.

"What happened Bec?" He was concerned for the girl. Though he fully understood the disease and had previously seen what it could do before he and her mother divorced, the professor still needed to check up on his daughter to make sure she was alright.

Beca's eyes remained closed as she spoke quietly. "Apparently I can't eat pizza at the moment. It didn't stay down very long at all." She frowned as she felt another wave of nausea go through her body. Ugh.

"Oh I see." He nodded understandingly as they pulled into the driveway.

"Is there anything I can do? I've got a hot water bottle I bought the other day for you if that will help?" He offered, remembering the little things that made the girl feel better.

Beca nodded gratefully as they entered the house. "Yes please, that would be great. I think I just want to go to bed now." She said quietly.

She gave a small wave to Sheila in the sitting room as they made their way through the house, Dr Mitchell headed for the medicine cupboard, and Beca aiming for the stairs.

She turned her phone off, deciding that she would talk with people in the morning, right now she needed some space to rest and recover from the night's ordeal.

But not before she went through some more gut-wrenching nausea. Fortunately there was a downstairs bathroom nearby, which the brunette girl dove into. Apparently she wasn't done with the puking.

Ten minutes later, the girl returned, determined not to throw up any more (not that there was anything left to throw up), and slowly made her way up the stairs, careful not to jolt her sensitive stomach too much or else she might be living in the bathroom for the night.

Upstairs in her bedroom, Beca found her dad waiting with her filled-up hot water bottle and some paracetamol and a glass of water.

She took the tablets and water and thanked her father, grateful that he had thought of this without being asked. Her own mind wasn't functioning well enough to tell her to take pain relief on its own.

Then she swapped the glass for the hot water bottle and got settled into her bed, not caring that she was still in her day clothes. It was time for a deep sleep so she could feel better!

"Night dad. Thanks for your help." She said quietly as the professor left the room, satisfied that he had done everything within his power to help his daughter.

Beca held the hot water bottle to her stomach and sighed in appreciation as it finally gave her some relief. Now that the pain and nausea was settling a bit, she was able to get to sleep. But as she was falling asleep, Beca couldn't get the thought of a conversation she had on the way to the pizza place out of her head. Amy had continued on her 'you're too thin' line of thought, and was elaborating on how cool it was that she was tiny and wasn't gaining any weight. Some of the other girls even pitched in with "you're lucky", or "I wish I had your metabolism".

If only they knew the price it cost to be like that.

* * *

As Dr Mitchell entered the sitting room where his wife sat, reading a book, he sighed.

"Is she not feeling well?" Sheila asked.

He shook his head. "No, her Crohn's is flaring up and making her react to eating."

When Beca had initially come to her dad for help earlier this year, their discussion had included allowing him to tell his wife of Beca's situation, so that she would be aware if ever Beca needed urgent help, then she would at least have an idea of what was going on. Beca wasn't too keen on the idea, but eventually agreed to it, on the basis that her father would then not be hiding something from his wife.

"Oh, poor girl."

"Yeah. I just hate that I can't do anything to fix it. The damned disease is incurable."

Sheila wrapped an arm around the professor's shoulders in a comforting embrace. "Beca's strong, she'll get through it."

* * *

Beca awoke the next day feeling much better than the night before. Though her stomach was still a little queasy, this was becoming more and more normal for the girl, and she was able to ignore it for the most part. Compared to the night before, Beca felt ten times better, which was good enough for her.

As the DJ sat up in bed, she grabbed her phone off the nightstand next to her bed and turned it back on. The clock showed that it was 10:46 am, indicating that Beca had sure needed that long sleep.

Her phone started buzzing, showing new messages, one after the other. Beca pulled back the covers and made her way downstairs as she began to read the messages. She realised how quiet it was in the house, which only meant one thing: no one else was home. And sure enough, there was a note siting on the kitchen counter. She placed her phone on the bench next to the paper, forgetting momentarily about her messages.

 ** _Beca,_**

 ** _I've gone to my class this morning and Sheila left for work as well. I hope you are feeling better. As always, stay as long as you like, and call me if you need anything. Perhaps you could let me know how you are doing if you have a free minute? Jesse called last night, he said your friends were looking for you. I told him you were feeling sick but alright, but that you didn't want anyone to know you were here. I hope that's okay._**

 ** _\- Dad_**

Well, now was as good a time as any to check in with him. Knowing he was probably in class at this second, Beca sent a text message.

 _Beca: Just checking in, I'm okay this morning. I'm heading home soon, so I'll see you another day. Thanks for telling Jesse, and thanks again for all your help._

Now that that was done, Beca went back to her unread messages. This was going to be interesting, seeing as she had pretty much abandoned the Bellas without warning last night. But Beca couldn't really help that, she was in no mind to think clearly at the time, and she wasn't going to hang around the girls while she was so obviously sick. She would think of an excuse easy enough.

The first message she read was from Chloe, not long after she left the restaurant.

 _Chloe 8:33pm: Hey, where did you go? You didn't say goodbye :(_

 _Chloe 8:57pm: Becs? We are going home now, maybe I'll find you there. Is everything okay?_

 _Aubrey 8:59pm: Beca it is not setting a good example as a captain if you leave the group activities before everyone else! You shouldn't run just because you saw someone flirting with Chloe._

This shocked Beca. _Leave it to Aubrey to jump to a conclusion like this. Why would she even think I would run because of that?_

Reading this message reminded her of what had been going on with the rest of the group while Beca was busy regretting the pizza. Chloe went up and started talking with the guy everyone thought was hot. And he was flirting with her. And Chloe certainly wasn't stopping him. Jealousy began to bubble up inside of Beca as she recalled this. In a way she was glad that her full attention was not given to this scene, otherwise she may have actually wanted to run out like Aubrey thought.

She shouldn't be surprised though, Chloe was a beautiful and really friendly person. All the guys on campus probably wanted to go out with her, the girls too. _And it's not like Chloe_ likes _me anyway._ Still, it hurt Beca to see that the girl she had feelings for was happily flirting and being flirted with by some guy.

Shaking her head as though it would help get the depressing thoughts out of her head, Beca went back to read the next message on her screen. She was shocked to see that Lilly had messaged her. Besides Hood Night, the quiet girl did not message Beca very often, or anyone for that matter.

 _Lilly 9:05pm: She wasn't flirting with him. He was flirting with her._

Okay, so it seemed that Beca's disappearance was being blamed by several of her friends on Chloe's interaction with that guy.

 _Ugh, more shit to deal with. Just what I need._ Beca really didn't feel like getting into this with any of the Bellas, and she hoped that when she saw them later it would not become the hot topic of discussion. Her Crohn's had impeccable timing with making her actions questionable and mixing the signals up. It did give her a good excuse for leaving, but her feelings for a certain redhead were not something she would admit to in order to hide her other secret.

Still, it was sweet that Lilly had thought to comfort her with this 'fact'. She hoped it was true.

Beca read the next messages.

 _Stacie 9:06pm: Hey Beca, no one knows where you went tonight. They all think it's because of Chloe that you left, but you did look kind of sick earlier… Are you okay? Is it the Crohn's? I'm a little worried now_

 _Chloe 10:31pm: So you aren't at home, and nobody's heard from you. I hope I didn't do anything to upset you_

 _Chloe 10:33pm: Scratch that. I messaged Jesse. He said you are okay, but he was pretty vague. I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Don't forget we have that extra rehearsal in the morning._

Oh. That extra rehearsal. The one that was due to start in… yep 9 minutes. The final messages she found were of a little more frustrated nature.

 _Chloe 9:22am: Becs are you awake yet? I know Jesse said you were okay last night but I'm still confused. I hope we will see you soon? Will you make it to rehearsals?_

 _Chloe 10:40am: Once again, I'm worried. Aubrey and I are here at the auditorium and still no one has heard from you. And you haven't gone home to get your stuff for rehearsals, so does that mean you aren't coming?_

 _Aubrey 10:55am: Where the hell are you?! You should be here by now Beca!_

Now was the time for Beca to jump into action. Realistically, she still had some time to make it to rehearsals, knowing that it wasn't crucial for her to be there for the beginning cardio exercises. And it would probably be for the best if she didn't push herself with a big activity the morning after being so sick.

But she still needed to get home, shower and change, and grab her equipment before she left for the auditorium. Deciding that one text would suffice for the group, Beca sent off a message to Chloe, assuming she would tell the others.

 _Beca 10:57am: I'm on my way, I'll be there in half hour. Long story. Sorry for leaving without an explanation._

And with that, the DJ began her venture home, glad that she would find the house empty so she could shower and clear her thoughts in peace. She still hadn't decided what she was going to say to the girls for leaving last night or for being late to rehearsals. The one thing she did know though, was that Aubrey was going to kill her. Beca and Chloe were in charge, but Aubrey was still heavily involved and was not impressed whenever Beca did something she disapproved of.

Beca would also have to explain herself, in truer words, to Stacie at some point when they were alone, because she was sure not going to buy the excuse Beca made, knowing what she knew.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: So I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I hope you like it, anyway. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and reviewing and following and favouriting. And thank you especially to my motivator and idea giverer - iamacrepe! She is a legend.**

 **As always, I would love to hear what you think of this chapter, the story so far, or anything you want to see happen in the future. I'm always happy to have suggestions. And it might motivate me to write faster and update sooner if you review...**

 **:D Have a lovely day**

* * *

When Beca finally arrived at the auditorium, there was a big reaction by all the Bellas. They stopped what they were doing and greeted her with questions galore.

Easily slipping into her leadership role, Beca quieted the girls with a brief explanation, and sent them to start their vocal warm-ups. "Hey guys, I'm really sorry I've been awol, I just had some stuff to deal with." It was a pretty weak defence, she was willing to admit that, but it didn't matter so much with the Bellas, because they all knew she was a private person, and none of them (with the exception of Stacie) suspected anything 'bad' to have been happening.

She shared a look with Stacie as they all moved into position that said _I'll explain later._

Chloe and Aubrey remained standing by the brunette as she pulled her laptop and equipment out of her bag and began to set it up on the piano. They were clearly expecting more of an explanation, less willing to let it go.

Beca looked up at them once she realised they were still there and took a deep breath. "Look, can we maybe talk about this when we have a break, we need to focus on vocals right now."

Chloe responded for the both of them. "Yeah, of course. As long as everything is okay now?"

Beca nodded. "Yep."

Aubrey was giving the short girl a look of reproval, clearly dissatisfied with Beca's dismissal of her own absence. The brunette ignored this, and chose instead to focus her mind on acapella and working on vocals with the rest of the Bellas.

This lasted all of half an hour before it was decided that they all needed a break to take a breath and rehydrate. Immediately Chloe and Aubrey moved over to Beca as she made her way to her bag for a drink. The rest of the girls were spread out on the floor a little way away.

Beca turned around to face the music, so to speak.

Aubrey began on a rant straight away. "Beca, you really should be trying harder now that you are a captain of the Bellas. It is not good enough for you to turn up late to rehearsals OR to skip out on a social night with the group. This isn't just the 'Beca can do whatever the hell she wants because she is in charge' show. You have a responsibility to make the Bellas the best you can, and that's not going to happen if you are skipping out half the time." She was taking on an exasperated tone, as if Beca did this kind of thing all the time, however that was simply not true. _Drama queen._ Beca thought.

"Come on Bree, I'm sure Beca has a good reason for it. It's not like she is this irresponsible person who doesn't give a damn about the Bellas. She works really hard for this." Chloe reasoned, having enough confidence to defend Beca properly to Aubrey.

Beca cut in before things went any further. But she was still very much pissed at Aubrey for her harsh words. "Look, I had a family emergency, and my phone died, so I didn't get your messages until this morning. I am really sorry I was late to rehearsals, but I couldn't help it. It was a one-off thing."

Chloe's expression quickly took on a look of concern as she heard the words 'family emergency'. "Emergency? What happened? Is everything sorted now?"

Beca looked around, unwilling to reveal much else. "Uh, yeah it's all good now. We should get back to working on the set list." And with that, she cut the conversation short and moved back over to the group.

Chloe and Aubrey shared a sceptical look, both slightly suspicious, but decided to follow Beca's lead, agreeing that the music was important to focus on at this moment. There would be time later to further question Beca, and Chloe figured she would have a better chance of doing so in private.

* * *

After another hour of going through the set list, vocal exercises and practising choreography, rehearsals ended, allowing for all the girls to go off to their respective classes or to study.

Aubrey went off to attend her classes, Chloe went to have lunch with some of the girls before they all had to attend class, and Lilly went home to do whatever it is she did in her room down in the basement – no-one was game enough to visit her down there, because they all thought the place was haunted. Stacie told everyone she was going to go study in the library, but in truth she had other plans, which involved following Beca and finding out the truth about what happened the night before. It was known to the group that Beca had a class to attend straight after, and so no-one questioned her walking off in a different direction to everyone else. That is, no-one except Stacie. She was watching Beca, and knew that the girl was actually walking in the opposite direction to where her class was held.

The DJ had debated with herself over going to class vs. not going to class, and had come to the decision of not going, in favour of resting up a bit more after her ordeal the night before. An hour and a half of intense Bellas rehearsals was enough for one day, especially when she still wasn't feeling 100%.

Back at the Bellas' house, Beca had made it up the stairs and was in the midst of turning her laptop on, so she could email her professor about missing class, when Stacie knocked on the wall at the top of the stairs to the attic bedroom. She wasn't really asking for permission to enter, seeing as she had already climbed the stairs and was in the room, but more like she was making her presence aware to the DJ.

Beca turned around, a little surprised to find Stacie in the room, seeing as she was supposed to be at the library.

"Stacie? I thought you were studying in the library?" she questioned.

Stacie returned this with a raised brow, challenging Beca. "And I thought you had a class right now."

Busted.

"Yeah, but I'm resting up instead. You should be proud, I'm not pushing myself." Beca went for the honesty pathway in the conversation, seeing no reason to hide her reasoning from one of the only people who actually knew of her Crohn's disease.

Stacie tilted her head back in recognition, "Ahh, so this is all to do with your Crohn's?"

Beca simply gave a nod of the head.

"Chloe was worried when you left all of a sudden without saying goodbye. What actually happened? And where were you all night?"

To Stacie, Beca had seemed fine until the one moment of weakness she had witnessed during their dinner. But she knew that this was indeed the way her illness worked. It wasn't something that was easy to notice, even if you knew what to look for. And it wasn't something that affected Beca all of the time, not every single moment of every day.

"I know, I got all of the messages from her and everyone else. Next time I guess I'll have to message you to let you know I'm still alive, huh." She joked, before continuing. "I was really sick, so I called my dad to pick me up. I stayed at his place because I felt like shit."

"Oh." Stacie was satisfied with this explanation.

"But I'm okay now." Beca added as an afterthought.

"Good. You're due for your next injection tomorrow, right?"

"Yep, I'll be fine to do it on my own."

"Sure thing. It should make things better with a new dose." Stacie advised.

Beca gave a small smile. "Good. It better!"

Though the new medication was showing some signs of success in treating her condition, it still had yet to have its desired effect of putting Beca into remission, preventing the majority, if not all, of her symptoms. Beca was having a few less crappy days, but there was still a long way to go. She was still avoiding eating some meals, taking regular naps, and not to mention the terrible pains and nausea.

But it was only early days; Beca had only been on this treatment for 2 weeks now, and it was common for it to take up to a few months to work for some people. They only hoped she would not be one of those people.

Stacie decided now would be the time to leave Beca to rest up. "Well, I actually do need to study now, so I'm off to the library. I'll see you later Beca."

"See you later."

After the tall brunette left, the DJ finished that email to her professor, and laid down on her bed, listening to music with closed eyes. She was vaguely aware of the remaining discomfort she felt in her stomach, however this was soon drowned out by the music blasting through her ears.

* * *

Chloe, on the other side of campus, had finished her lunch with the girls, and was now on her way home, deciding to study at home, where it would be nice and quiet. Still in the back of her mind was the thought of how Beca was not giving away much on her actual whereabouts the night before. The redhead found herself disappointed once again that Beca either didn't feel as though she could confide in her, or that the brunette didn't _want_ to tell her. Either way, it wasn't good.

 _It's not personal. This is the way Beca is. She is a very closed-off person._ Chloe tried to tell herself.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she arrived at the top of the stairs, seeing her roommate laying on her bed, eyes closed, and headphones on. The only indicator that the girl was awake was the continuous tapping her fingers were doing on her stomach as she followed the beat of her music.

Now would be a perfect time to confront Beca about last night.

Chloe moved over to the brunette, and gently pulled her headphones off. Beca's eyes shot open as she immediately sat upright, looking for the culprit who stole her headphones.

She softened when she saw who it was.

"Oh, Chloe. You scared the hell out of me."

"So it seems." The redhead smiled back. "What are you doing here? I thought you had a lecture on right now?"

Beca hated getting those questions that forced her to hide things.

"I do. But I'm not going. I'm not in the mood today." She looked over at Chloe, who was now sitting on her own bed facing the younger girl. Hopefully she wouldn't question this any further.

"Oh okay." She nodded slowly. Now it was the redhead's turn to look uncomfortable as she mustered up the courage to ask what she really wanted to know.

"Look, about last night. You didn't leave because of me did you? I mean, because I was talking to Chris? I'm only asking this because Aubrey said something to me that didn't make sense. We didn't make you uncomfortable I hope?" Chloe was quite flustered as she spoke, the words flowing out fast and fumbled, as she struggled to control her words.

Beca frowned, suspicious of what Aubrey had said, and beginning to get frustrated at the fact that everyone thought she was so affected by Chloe's flirting with that guy, 'Chris'.

"What? No, that's definitely not why I left. Why would it make me uncomfortable?"

Chloe shrugged, unsure of what to say to that. "I don't know, I just couldn't figure out why you'd leave without telling me. And just so you know, I wasn't flirting with him. Chris, I mean. He's in my group for English lit, and he just can't take a hint." She threw her arms out, frustrated. "I mean, he's a nice guy and all, but –" she didn't get a chance to finish, because something snapped inside of Beca.

She really didn't want to hear of how a guy was flirting with Chloe, and she was letting him do it because she was too nice.

" – Chloe I don't care about 'Chris'. I don't care if you were flirting with him or not. And I have no idea what Aubrey said, but whatever it was, she's wrong. There is no reason that you and 'Chris' flirting or not flirting would make a difference to me." Her tone was exasperated. Beca was ready for this conversation to be over with.

Chloe was taken aback by this sudden outburst. She tilted her head, challenging. "Okay. Do you want to tell me where you really were then last night?" She questioned with raised eyebrows, telling Beca without words that she didn't believe the story that the DJ had used earlier.

But Beca was still on her streak of outburst. "I told you already. I had a family emergency to get to. My dad messaged me, and I had to go straight away. There was no time to message anyone after I left. That is the truth." She all but shouted.

"Oh." Chloe looked down at the ground. There was no denying the look of hurt displayed on the redhead's face.

 _Now you've done it._ Beca said to herself. She wasn't supposed to be letting her feelings for Chloe affect her in such a way. Especially when Chloe was only reassuring the girl that she was _not_ flirting with Chris. She took a deep breath and sighed as she leant her head on the palms of her hands, regretting her words.

She looked up, to see Chloe glancing timidly in her direction.

"Chloe," she started, feeling terrible for speaking like she had, to her friend who was only asking because she cared for her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. I guess I'm just tired."

Beca was starting to realise that maybe she hadn't fully recovered from the night before. The events had apparently taking more out of her in the way of energy than expected, and so her head was still a little muddled up, which meant her fuse was shorter than usual.

Chloe relaxed slightly at this, appreciative of Beca's apology. It was good to know that she cared.

"It's okay Becs. You should rest up, I'll be downstairs studying." She got up off her bed and started gathering her study materials.

But before she could leave Beca had to check.

"Chlo?" She sounded unsure.

The redhead looked over. "Yeah?"

"Are we good?"

"Of course, Becs. I'm glad everything is okay with your family now." She smiled genuinely at her roommate, hoping to convey that all was forgiven.

"Thanks."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: So I** ** _did_** **in fact have a lot of motivation to write the past week. Only problem was, I ended up writing heaps for future chapters, and not this chapter. So that is why I took a little longer to update. I hope you can forgive me because this chapter is over 3000 words :)**

 **And I realised this week that there are 152 of you following this story... What?! That is amazing. I cannot believe it. I love you all, and thank you all for reading! :D**

 **Also, if you are interested in acapella, iamacrepe and I suggest you go and check out The Sing Off and Sing It On on youtube - awesome stuff!**

 **I shall stop rambling now, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and have a lovely week, my awesome nerds! And of course, a big thank you to iamacrepe :D**

* * *

It wasn't long before the Bellas found themselves on the bus home from Regionals, 1st place trophy in hand. In the weeks leading up to the competition, the girls had worked their butts off preparing for their performance, and it felt good to have that hard work pay off. No one in the audience could disagree with the Barden Bellas as winners of the competition – they had it in the bag from the beginning. Jesse and Benji and the Treblemakers put up a good fight, with another impressive performance, but it wasn't quite enough to level with the Bellas.

The atmosphere on the bus was full of excitement as the girls celebrated their win, singing in harmony to the tune of 'we are the champions', a fitting song for the group. The mood amongst them was contagious, and Beca for one couldn't stop the grin that was currently showing on her face. Not that she wanted to stop it.

Chloe, sitting next to Beca of course, was smiling equally widely, seeing how happy her co-captain was.

"You did an amazing job, Becs. We couldn't have won Regionals without you. You should be so proud, my little DJ." Chloe reached over and hugged Beca, leaving the blushing brunette in shock at the sudden contact. Ever since the pizza celebration fiasco, Chloe had been a little distant with Beca. Not enough for it to be obvious to everyone, but enough for Beca to notice. Though Chloe had reassured her that everything was fine between them, Beca sensed that this was not the truth.

"Thanks, but it was definitely a group effort. You make a great captain Chlo."

"Naww, thank you Becs!" Chloe beamed, as she practically gave heart eyes to the DJ, who was now glancing out the window.

"Alright, I hate to interrupt your sweet bonding moment, but we need to get down to business." Aubrey spoke with a serious tone, as she moved into the seat in front of the two captains and turned around to face them.

Both girls' heads spun to face the blonde, Beca ready to deny any such accusation and Chloe not at all bothered by it. Aubrey was intent on performing her duty as team manager, and that meant having conversations about upcoming events and how to raise money for the trip to semi-finals and costumes and such.

Beca sighed, not in the mood to go over all this when they had only just won Regionals.

"Aubrey can't this wait until tomorrow or something?"

The blonde rolled her eyes, dismissing Beca's protest. "No Beca, it cannot. We need to start getting ready for the semi-final, and that means more fundraising, which means more events to prepare for."

Chloe piped in, thinking that now would be as good a time as any to discuss their plans, since they were all together there. "Come on Becs, we might as well talk about it now. We still have at least another hour left of driving until we get home." She reasoned.

"Yeah, another hour that I could be sleeping." Beca was beginning to feel the fatigue set in after such a long day. And on top of that, she hadn't eaten much before their performance in fear of a reaction from her stomach, so the brunette was running low on energy.

'You can sleep later." Came Aubrey's harsh response. "Now, I happened to run into a few people this evening who are interested in having the Bellas perform at their events. First up is a wedding in two weeks. The woman was saying that the musicians they had booked suddenly pulled out, so now we got the gig!" Her voice was now giving off an excited tone, proud of her work at booking an event which would help them to gather some much-needed funds.

"Oh my aca-gosh Bree! That's awesome! We've never done a wedding before." Chloe joined in on the excitement.

"I know, so we need to get to work on preparing for it straight away."

"Two weeks is not a very long time to prepare for such a big event. And we have to start preparing for the semifinals performance on top of that." Beca's scepticism turned to concern as she realised what that meant for her: lots of work to do in such little time.

"Yeah, but I'm positive we can do it. We just have to knuckle down and maybe schedule a few more practices." Chloe's positivity, as always, was rarely dampened.

"Chloe's right. And that means we need the set list prepared ASAP Beca, so then we can start on matching the choreography and working on the vocal arrangements." Aubrey was in serious-captain mode.

Beca yawned, too tired to actually register what was being said.

Aubrey continued. "I was thinking Bruno Mars' 'Marry You', and, hmm, what else…"

Chloe jumped in, following her friend's line of thought, "Ooh and we definitely have to do …"

Beca could no longer follow the conversation, as she zoned out. She did not have the energy for the kind of thinking that required such effort.

"Beca, are you even listening?!" Aubrey's voice burst into Beca's daydreaming state.

"Huh?"

"Wakey wakey Becs, we are deciding on which songs we should perform. What do you think we should do?"

The DJ ran a hand through her hair, trying to get her brain to focus, but failing.

"Uhm, I don't know. Let me have a think about it tomorrow, I'm too tired to think straight right now."

"No Beca. You need to deal with it. Everyone else here has done the same amount of work as you, and we are still focusing and trying to plan this wedding set list so we have as much time as possible to practice for it." Aubrey's tone was frustrated. She just didn't understand that Beca had reached her limit for the day, and was instead assuming that the girl just didn't care enough to join in the conversation right now.

Beca merely raised her eyebrows in disbelief. _Whyyy can't I just have one hour of peace? It would almost be better if I_ told _them so then – No._ She stopped herself from continuing on this train of thought. It would definitely _not_ be better if she told everyone about her Crohn's. It would only make things worse.

Stacie, sitting across from the co-captains, had been listening to the conversation, and was picking up on how exhausted Beca was, now that she knew what to look for. She decided now would be a good time to intervene, because it seemed as though the DJ was getting nowhere in her attempts to delay their conversation.

"Hey Aubrey, let's focus on celebrating our win for tonight, and let Beca rest up. She'll have better ideas tomorrow when she has had a good sleep." The tall brunette suggested, hoping that her intervention would not raise too much suspicion for the DJ.

Aubrey narrowed her eyes at the both of them for a moment, before finally agreeing with Stacie. After all, Beca had threatened her once before on stripping the blonde of her honorary Bella/manager status. Who's to say she wouldn't follow through if Aubrey pushed hard enough?

"Fine." She huffed.

Beca yawned again in response.

"But you had better come up with some kick-ass mixes tomorrow!" She warned.

Beca waved her hand in dismissal as she leant against the window. "Sure thing."

She made a mental note to thank Stacie later on. And within minutes, the DJ was dead to the world, making good use of the hour left on the bus.

...

Chloe, in the meantime, was sitting there pondering over what had just happened. Stacie was defending Beca, and by the looks of it, Beca was relieved by it.

Come to think of it, this wasn't the only time that Chloe had noticed something between the two. Just the other day she spotted them walking across the quad together, deep in conversation, and when she approached, both girls were startled, and vague in their responses when she asked what they were up to.

And there were several other times where the two were acting all secretive or talking quietly amongst themselves. Not to mention those times they were hanging out in Beca and Chloe's room when Chloe was preoccupied with other things. Beca was definitely spending more time with Stacie lately. And it really seemed like they were hiding a secret.

 _Maybe there is something going on between them?_ Chloe thought to herself.

And her heart sank a little at the thought.

* * *

An hour later, the bus had arrived back on campus, as Fat Amy pulled up in front of the Bellas' House. Chloe gently shook Beca awake and helped walk her off the bus in her sleepy state. The ginger had been thinking hard the whole way back, and had come up with a game plan to suss out Beca. She had to know if there was something between Beca and Stacie, or if the DJ had any feelings for Chloe.

As the girls all made their way inside, Aubrey bid her farewell, opting to go home and get a proper sleep before she met back up with the girls the next day to work on the set list for their next event.

Chloe was forced to let go of her hold on Beca as she ran back to give Aubrey a hug goodbye. So the brunette continued on inside, heading straight up the stairs to their bedroom. She was now feeling more awake after her nap on the bus, though still worn out, just not enough to make her go to sleep just yet. By the time Chloe made it up the stairs, after saying goodnight to all the other girls in the house, Beca had changed into sleep clothes and taken her tablets, avoiding prying eyes.

The still-chirpy redhead reached the top of the stairs to find her roommate laying in bed with her laptop sitting on her stomach, as the girl concentrated hard on something on the screen: presumably a mix she was working on.

In reality, the brunette was staring at nothing on her screen, and was instead trying to take deep breaths as she dealt with a wave of pain going through her stomach. The laptop's positioning was more tactical than anything: Beca had gotten used to using her laptop's heat to help with the pain. It was a very convenient heat source, seeing as the DJ was rarely without her laptop, and of course it was a good way to help the pain without raising suspicion.

"Are you working on the set list for the wedding already?" Chloe questioned, bringing Beca out of her momentary trance. "You really don't need to do that tonight. Don't worry about Aubrey, sleep is more important, the music can wait until tomorrow."

Beca blinked and looked over at her roommate. "Huh?" It took a moment for her to register the redhead's words. "Oh right. Yeah I was just playing around with some ideas. I'm not ready to sleep just yet."

She refocused herself on her music software, and continued to fiddle with some songs that were going through her head.

"Oh, me neither. I'm still too pumped from our win tonight!" Chloe thrust both fists up into the air in excitement.

Beca, having seen the movement in her periphery, smirked as she kept her eyes on her laptop screen. Of course, Chloe was watching the girl, and narrowed her eyes playfully at her.

"What are you smirking at?"

Beca stopped what she was doing and turned to face her friend. "You." Chloe tilted her head in question, prompting the brunette to give a further explanation.

"You are such a goof."

Chloe mocked offense, raising a hand to her chest. "I am _not_!"

Beca couldn't help the 'hah!' that escaped her lips. "You _so_ are."

The way these two slipped into their back and forth antics was seamless. It was such an easy transition, as though they had done it a million times before. And neither one found they had the same effect with any other person. This was something only _they_ did so easily.

A cheesy grin began making its way slowly across Chloe's face. "Take it back." She commanded, holding up a pillow in a threat to throw it at the DJ.

Beca firmly shook her head. "Uh uh. Nope. Not gonna happen." And a moment later she found a pillow in her face. Right on target.

"Ahh! Right in the face, really Chlo?" She held onto the pillow.

Chloe smiled proudly back. "Yep." She nodded her head. "Well in that case, you are a geek. If I'm going to be a goof, then you are a geek!" She proclaimed, hoping to get a response out of the girl.

And failing.

"Out and proud!" Beca agreed to Chloe's statement, laughing, and knowing it would bug the girl that she didn't have the desired effect on her friend.

"Out, huh?" Chloe questioned jokingly. Both girls knew it was a harmless joke. Though Beca's sexuality was indeed something of a mystery to the other girl; she hadn't let _all_ of her walls down for Chloe, just some of them.

Beca rolled her eyes, throwing the pillow back. "Oh come on. You know what I meant." She poked her tongue out at the redhead for effect. This had them both cracking up laughing.

Chloe found herself smiling warmly at their interaction, as she realised how much Beca was letting her guard down when they were alone together. She knew Beca didn't act this way around just anyone.

Beca noticed Chloe staring at her, not speaking at this point, and spoke up instead. "Chlo? You okay there?"

Chloe snapped out of her thoughts immediately. "Oh yeah. I'm going to change into my pyjamas now." She turned around and rummaged through her cupboard until she found the clothes she was looking for, before changing right there in front of Beca, no privacy required.

Beca frowned at this sudden change of direction in Chloe's behaviour, but passed it off as nothing. The ginger was probably just uncomfortable in her clothes from earlier. She returned her focus to her laptop, realising with relief that the pain she had before was now gone, and started thinking back to ideas for the set list, as a yawn escaped her.

When Chloe was finished, she turned off the main light switch, leaving it so that only the lamp between their two beds was on, and she slipped into her bed. Now was the time to set her plan into action.

She rolled over so that she was facing Beca, and spoke up. "Hey Becs?"

"Hmm?" Beca's eyes never left the screen in front of her, though both girls knew she was listening intently.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Chloe sounded hesitant.

Beca turned her head to face her friend, yawning again as she did so. "Of course Chlo."

"So there's this person, and I have a major crush on them." She paused, watching the other girl's expression. "I don't know what to do about it."

Beca's face gave away nothing of the disappointment she was feeling inside, though she turned her head back to her computer to avoid any eye contact with the redhead.

"You're Chloe Beale. Since when do you not know what to do about a crush? You always go head-on into talking to people, no matter what the topic is."

Now the fatigue was kicking back in, at a surprising pace for Beca. She was ready to go to sleep, but she couldn't just leave Chloe hanging.

Chloe nodded slightly, kind of agreeing with Beca's statement. "Yeah, but this one is different. I really like her. She's not like anyone else I've ever met."

"Oh." Beca paused, as her tired mind tried to process all the consequences of the last statement. Particularly the 'her' part. Chloe wasn't the only one who was unsure about her roommate's sexuality. And then there was the part where Chloe had it bad for some _other_ girl.

Chloe decided now was the time to ask Beca her next question, stepping away from talking about her own feelings for a minute. "How about you Becs?"

"Hmm? What about me?" Beca's voice was showing her fatigue as she tried to keep up with the conversation.

"Is there anyone special in your life at the moment? Any secret lovers or crushes?" She probed, smiling in a joking manner at her own word use.

Beca pretended to think this over, as if trying to remember if she had a hidden lover. "Hmm, a secret lover? Not that I recall, no."

A comfortable silence settled between the two, before Beca spoke up again. "So what are you going to do about your feelings for this girl?" She knew if Chloe brought it up, she wanted to talk about it. But then the redhead had quickly changed topic to Beca's love life, so she probably wasn't done with her own problem. And as much as Beca didn't want to talk about Chloe's feelings for another girl, she wanted to help her out.

Chloe hummed in thought, as she rolled onto her back, her gaze settling on a spot on the ceiling.

"I really don't know. I mean, I have no idea if she likes me back. She is really closed off about her feelings. And I don't know if she likes girls or what. And she's my friend. I just don't want to screw it up by telling her, and then find out that she likes someone else, or worse, just doesn't like me back." She looked back over at Beca, wondering if her words would be sparking any recognition in the brunette's mind.

But the redhead found absolutely no response in the brunette's eyes: she was instead fast asleep.

"Beca?" She whispered, checking that the girl wasn't faking. No response.

She let out a long sigh of defeat, and instead decided to go to sleep herself. But not before getting out of bed and moving Beca's laptop so that it was on the girl's desk, safe from the potential of being accidentally thrown off the bed by a sleeping Beca.

The older girl settled back into her own bed, feeling rather disappointed with how her plan had gone. The only thing she had gotten from Beca's response to her confession was maybe a little curiosity, and that was about it. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to bring that topic up when it was late, and Beca was already exhausted. Although, when she thought about it, Beca did claim not to have a 'secret lover'. So maybe that meant that there was no 'Beca and Stacie'. Maybe there was still hope. Or maybe Beca wanted to keep it a secret and was lying to her.

 _I hope not._ She thought. The idea of Beca lying to her was not at all appealing.

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 **A/N #2: to Aetherion13, I hope this satisfies your request for fluff :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Thank you for the lovely reviews! And thank you all for being patient. I'm sorry I took a little longer to update this time, uni has been kicking my butt the last couple weeks. And just a warning, I haven't had much time to read over this chapter and check it, so hopefully it is okay.**

 **A big thank you to iamacrepe for putting up with all my questions and indecisiveness :)**

 **I hope you enjoy :)**

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Two weeks later, and the girls were finished with the wedding, having successfully prepared and performed a beautiful mash-up of wedding songs, including Aubrey's earlier suggestion of Bruno Mars' 'Marry You'.

Not only this, but they had also finished the preparations for their semi-finals performance, it was now just a matter of keeping up with practice, and perfecting it.

Chloe had not tried any further to question Beca, or to prompt her with any more talk of her 'secret' crush. The ginger was undecided on how to approach the situation further, so she had instead focused her mind on working hard in preparation for their coming performances.

Beca was also too busy with acapella preparation and school work to try and process what parts of their conversation she could actually remember, before she fell asleep. Not to mention her illness still hadn't let up, so the girl had a lot on her mind, as she tried to keep up appearances through her stomach aches and careful ventures with eating.

And in those two weeks, there wasn't any spare time to do anything other than sleep, what with all the extra rehearsals for both the wedding set list _and_ the semi-finals set list. Of course, Beca was always passed out in bed by the time Chloe made it to bed, the DJ still feeling all the extra exhaustion, with her new treatment taking its time to work.

Everyone was more than ready for the school break in the next week. It would give them all a chance to catch up on school work and sleep, and of course keep up the practice for semi-finals without school interference. Many of the girls were going home to visit their families for the break, which was a problem for rehearsals, but they had all sworn to keep practicing on their own, wherever they were.

Aubrey had been very reluctant to accept the existence of the school break, being so close to the semi-finals. With the timing of when most of the girls planned to return, there would be 1 week between their return and the night of their semi-final performance. But Chloe and Beca had reassured the blonde in the month beforehand, and here they were again, convincing her that everything would be okay, on the day that Aubrey and Chloe were due to leave for their mini vacation. Yes, believe it or not, Chloe had somehow roped her into accompanying the ginger on a road trip to visit Chloe's brother, 7 hours away down in Florida.

It was all Chloe's parents' idea for her to visit her brother, and they did not give up until Chloe agreed. After all it was one of the "rare times when you will have free time to see your brother before you graduate and begin full-time work", according to the redheaded mom. Chloe would have loved to take Beca along with her, and spend all that time travelling together, but in the end she decided that it would be good for her and Aubrey to spend some best friend time together, seeing as they had not had much opportunity for that without being surrounded by Bellas. Not to mention Beca would be working in the radio station over the break, and filling in for everyone else on break.

...

"You know, I still have a lot of doubts about leaving. I don't want the Bellas to all mess up with semi-finals because we went on break the week before."

"Relax Bree, we had everything prepared ages ago, and the girls have already perfected the performance, vocally and with the choreography."

"And," Beca added in, "We even allowed you this once to threaten the girls if they don't rehearse on their own over the break."

Chloe spoke up again, as though the two were playing tag-team. "But," she held up a finger, "that won't be necessary. They won't forget the routine."

Beca again, "Yeah we have all practiced it enough times in the past two weeks that it is imprinted into our minds. It would be impossible to forget."

Then Chloe again, nodding. "We know it back to front."

"We could do the performance in our sleep."

Aubrey sighed, finally giving in. "Fine. But, I strongly suggest extra rehearsals when everyone returns from the break." The blonde had actually taken to 'strongly suggesting' things recently, instead of forcing them upon the two captains and the other Bellas, after Chloe had a word with the girl. They both knew Beca would take the advice better if it was given as advice and not forced.

Beca and Chloe looked at each other, seemingly agreeing without words, before Beca responded. "Yes, we will definitely do that. Now get out of here, the both of you!" The last command was said in a tone mixed between exasperation and joking.

"Right. Good bye Beca. Don't forget to keep practicing with Stacie and Lilly." Aubrey, all business as usual as she got into the car. She and Jesse had already said their goodbyes before the blonde came over to pick Chloe up.

Beca rolled her eyes, mumbling an unimpressed 'mhmm', before she was enveloped in a big warm hug. The culprit: Chloe of course.

"I'm going to miss you Becs!"

Beca returned the hug without hesitation.

"Yeah I'll miss you too Chlo. Have a nice trip."

"Thanks. Enjoy the peace and quiet while you can." They both laughed.

Aubrey watched on with narrowed eyes as the two girls said their goodbyes as if they would be gone for months, wondering where they drew the line between friendship and something more, or if it even mattered to the girls. She knew they hadn't made anything official, but would be sure to quiz Chloe on the situation whilst on their journey.

Once they had left, Beca went back into the house, and up to the bedroom, planning on getting in some extra sleep before she even thought about catching up on school work, or even mixing. This break, she was scheduled for a good number of shifts at the radio station, seeing as she and Jesse were the two main members of the radio station crew left that were not leaving for the break.

Stacie had also stayed at Barden for the break, because of her work commitments at the clinic and hospital, and Lilly was still around the place too, for some reason or another, not that she gave an explanation for it that made sense.

It was going to get real quiet in the Bellas' House for the break.

* * *

 _(insert elevator music here as we skip ahead in time)_

* * *

The Friday before classes were back and the day that most of the girls were due back from visiting their families, Beca and Jesse were both hanging out at the radio station, monitoring the booth together. They knew only one person needed to be there, but there were days like this when both of them would hang out there because they had nothing better to do.

It was still early on in the day, and Beca intended to stay at the station for the remainder of said day, to avoid the chaos that would surely be coming that afternoon with the return of a house full of Bellas. Yes, she did indeed love her fellow Bellas, and she had missed them while they were away, but Beca thought it better to wait until the excitement of their return had calmed down, even if she was itching to see them all.

And so there the two friends were, unpacking some CDs onto the shelves whilst Beca's mixes played on the air, as Jesse babbled on about school and acapella and whatever else he could think of. Beca was being rather quiet, more so than usual, but Jesse couldn't quite figure out what it was that was going on.

To Beca, something didn't feel quite right. She was feeling the fatigue especially today, but it was a weird kind of feeling, like she wasn't fully there. Her brain was struggling to stay in the room with her.

The boy stopped with the CDs in his hand for a moment to properly look over at Beca.

"Hey, are you okay Beca?"

Beca looked up, seemingly pulled from out of a distant land of thoughts, but what was really just a land of fogginess.

"Huh?" She looked confused for a second, before the Treblemaker's words registered in her mind properly. "Oh yeah, I'm good."

Jesse raised his eyebrows at her, not believing her words.

Beca shrugged in response. "I am. I'm fine. I'm just tired, nothing new there."

Jesse nodded in understanding. "Ah, I see. Maybe you should go home, rest up. I can handle things here for the day." He suggested, hoping the girl would take the opportunity to allow her body to rest some more.

Beca contemplated the offer, before shaking her head. "No it's okay, I'd rather be here. The girls are getting back today, and it will be crazy town at home. I don't need a rest, I'm used to the tiredness." She shrugged it off, and headed back to the booth to queue up the next songs for playing on the air, leaving a chuckling Jesse behind to finish sorting the CDs.

When she had finished queuing up the music, Beca sat back in the chair for a moment, feeling a weird kind of dizziness come over her. A moment later, it was gone, and Beca was up and heading back out to Jesse.

He looked up at her return, and continued their conversation from earlier.

"So are you going to tell me which songs you are singing at the semi's next week?"

"Hah, no. Nice try troublemaker. Are you going to tell me _your_ set list for the semi's?" Beca shot back.

Jesse shook his head adamantly, with a smile on his face. "No, I want it to be a surprise. Then you girls can be blown away by our awesomeness, and then maybe not perform as well." He had it all planned out.

"Riiight."

"Ooh, you know, Beca. You should totally do a rap song! You could be the rapper, it would be very hip."

"Hm." Beca's response was about as informative as her brain was functioning – not very well at all.

And before she knew it, Jesse was waving a hand in front of her face, apparently awaiting an answer to another question. One that the DJ had completely missed.

"Beca?" Jesse was getting worried about her now. Something was definitely not right.

But the Bella was given no chance to attempt to give Jesse any form of response.

Instead, she was greeted with the floor approaching at a concerning speed, as Beca's body gave way completely. A moment later, her mind joined the rest of her body, as everything faded to black.

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 **A/N: So I kind of like cliffhangers...**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Okay, so new update today, thanks to iamacrepe :)**

 **Thank you all for the beautiful reviews, and for reading this story, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

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The first thing Beca noticed when she came to was that she was laying on a bed. And it seemed to be moving. _Wait… That's not right. My bed shouldn't be moving like that. And why do I feel so bleh?_ That's when it all clicked, as the DJ's memory kicked in.

"Oh crap." She opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings. She was inside an ambulance. _That explains that loud siren noise._ As Beca's eyes landed on Jesse, who had accompanied her in the vehicle, he spoke up.

"Hey, welcome back."

"Ugh. What am I doing in an ambulance Jesse?" Beca was a little confused, but mostly it was annoyance that was at the front of her mind. That and disappointment. Now was not the time she wanted to be in an ambulance on her way to hospital.

"You passed out Beca, I didn't know what to do, so I called Stacie. She told me to call an ambulance. She's going to meet us there."

Beca looked around again, now taking notice of all the medical equipment attached to her. A pulse monitor attached to her left index finger, a blood pressure band wrapped by velcro around her right upper arm, some more leads attached around her chest in various places, and finally, the needle currently poking inside one of her veins in her forearm. _Well at least they left all my clothes on. I still have some of my dignity._ Her eyes following the IV tube running from her arm up to a bag hanging by her head, Beca studied the clear contents of the bag.

Seeing this, the paramedic sitting across from her, who had been keeping an eye on the girl's vitals, spoke up. "We are just giving you some fluids. You were quite dehydrated."

Beca nodded in understanding.

"Your friend here mentioned that you have Crohn's disease, is that right?" Beca looked from Jesse back to the paramedic, still struggling to think straight, in her weakened state.

"Uh, yeah."

A few follow-up questions later, and they were at the hospital, wheeling Beca's bed out of the van and in through the ER doors, Jesse following alongside his friend.

Once inside, Beca was passed off to an ER doctor, as the paramedic informed her of Beca's stats and situation.

"Alright Rebecca, now we've called Dr Griffin, and she will be here any minute now. Until then, try to rest up. The fluids you're getting here," she motioned towards the cannula in Beca's arm, "should start to make you feel better any minute now."

Beca nodded, too weak to correct the doctor on her name.

They were now situated in a corner of the ER, a thin curtain the only thing separating Beca's bed from the bed of the patient in the next zone. Jesse had taken a seat next to Beca's bed, as he glanced worriedly at her.

"You really scared me there Beca."

Beca looked over at him, feeling slightly guilty at this, though she had no real control over what had happened.

"I'm sorry. I promise never to do it again." Her voice was quiet, and she smirked slightly, still capable of making fun of the boy.

Jesse gave a mock glare back, before he saw Stacie walking in their direction. He waved, causing Beca to turn her head, making eye contact with the approaching girl.

"Hey Bec. How are you feeling?" Stacie asked, coming to stand on the other side of Beca's bed. She surveyed the bag of fluids and all the other bits and pieces surrounding the DJ, taking note of what was being done to help her friend.

"Just wonderful." Beca couldn't help her sarcasm from coming out in full force, even in her state of feeling unwell. Stacie raised her eyebrows at the girl, expecting a more honest response.

"I really don't need to be in a hospital. I'm okay. I just wasn't feeling too good, no big deal." Beca was defending herself, very opposed to the idea of such a dramatic turn of events, ending in a visit to the hospital.

"Don't be stupid Beca. You _passed out_ for god's sake! It could have been something much more serious. You are lucky Jesse was there." Stacie reprimanded the girl for arguing.

Beca hated to admit, Stacie was right. With Crohn's, you couldn't just leave something like that. She needed to get checked out, in case there was some kind of complication going on inside her.

"Did you really have to call a freaking ambulance though?" Beca asked sceptically.

"Well yeah." Jesse started.

"Damn right we did Beca. You needed fluids immediately. It was necessary." Stacie spoke meaningfully. She knew that Beca would be doubting that it was really necessary, especially as the hospital was only two minutes away from the radio station, but she also knew that it would have been much more difficult for Jesse to get the unconscious girl to the hospital on his own.

"How are you _actually_ feeling?" She tried again.

Beca gave a small huff. "I'm a little exhausted, and my mind is kind of foggy, but other than that, I'm fine."

Stacie nodded, "that is not surprising. You're probably dehydrated and lacking nutrition if you haven't been eating properly and with the Crohn's symptoms. Has anyone called Dr Griffin?"

"Yes they have." The voice, originating from behind the tall brunette, startled her.

"Hi Beca, Stacie. I'm afraid I don't know the name of your friend here." Dr Griffin greeted them.

"Oh I'm Jesse. Hi" The Treblemaker responded.

"Nice to meet you." She turned back to the patient. "Now Beca, it is nice to see you, but I can't say I like seeing you in the ER."

"Well to be fair, I had no choice in the matter." Beca replied, prompting two sets of eye-rolls beside the DJ.

"Well I am glad that you did come in. It is always safer to get checked out if something isn't right. So your chart says that you passed out while you were working, correct?" Dr Griffin read from her patient's chart.

"So it seems." Beca gave a nod.

"How were you feeling right before this happened?" The doctor questioned.

Beca thought for a moment, trying to work past the fuzziness still occupying her brain. "Uhh, I think I was a little tired, but that's normal. And then things just went all foggy, and next thing I knew, I was in the ambulance."

"She was also kind of vague when we were talking before it happened." Jesse added in helpfully.

"Right. And have you eaten anything today?"

Beca looked guilty at this, and was avoiding both her friends' eyes. "Do saltine crackers count?"

"Hm, not so much."

"Well my stomach still reacts when I eat sometimes, especially yesterday, so I didn't want to risk it this morning."

"Ah. And when you say 'reacts', is that stomach pains, or vomiting, or diarrhoea, or ..?" She probed, needing to find out more to be able to make a definitive conclusion on the cause of Beca's passing-out.

The DJ lowered her eyes in embarrassment, avoiding any eye-contact with her friends or her doctor. "Recently it's mostly the pains and diarrhoea." She responded quietly, a blush creeping up her cheeks at this topic being discussed in front of her friends. "And I've been bleeding from my bowel too." She admitted.

"Right." Dr Griffin nodded in understanding. Looking to the chart and back to Beca, she continued. "I think it is safe to say that you are dehydrated, probably a little malnourished, and possibly anaemic. These things combined could have easily caused you to pass out. Especially if you are working yourself too hard at work or school."

Beca nodded, as all three friends listened intently to the doctor.

"For now, we will give you a shot of vitamin B12 to help give you some nutrition and more energy. The fluids we've given you should also help rehydrate you, and add to that effect. Now as for the possibility of anaemia, how is your fatigue?"

Beca pursed her lips in contemplation of how much to say. "It's manageable. I'm still getting tired during the day, but I can deal with it."

Dr Griffin narrowed her eyes at her patient, unsure of how much the girl _wasn't_ telling her. "Are you sure?"

Beca nodded.

"Well I would like to take some blood and test your iron levels, and depending on that, possibly give you an iron infusion to top you up."

"No." Beca immediately turned it down, knowing how long that would have her at the hospital for. She couldn't afford to do that, especially when all the girls, or more specifically Chloe, was arriving back today. Beca couldn't be in hospital whilst they returned. That would raise too much suspicion. And she didn't feel _that_ bad.

"That's really not necessary. I feel fine now, I can deal with it."

"I would feel a lot better if we made certain of that, just for safety." Dr Griffin tried.

"No, I'm okay. I don't need it."

Stacie stepped in, trying to persuade her friend otherwise. "Beca, it would be better if we waited for those results – "

"No, I'm not staying in the hospital any longer than I have to." Beca was adamant.

Seeing no chance of changing Beca's mind, Dr Griffin tried another tactic, unwilling to let her patient go without any kind of confirmation on her condition.

"Okay then Beca. How about this: we take some blood and let you go home, then we do the testing here, and if the results indicate it, you come back in for the infusion. Otherwise, I can put you on some iron tablets until you go into remission, but I would still like to wait for those results before we do anything. This way, I and your friends get some peace of mind, and you get to go home early."

Beca thought this over for a second, before agreeing to the suggestion. "That, I can do." It was, after all, better to find out if she was indeed anaemic or not, so that they could make sure this same thing didn't happen again.

Dr Griffin smiled thankfully. "Thank you Beca. Now back to the Crohn's. It seems that the Humira hasn't kicked in properly yet, which is problematic for you. It is still early on, so it might take a little while longer before you have some better relief from your symptoms. We do have the option of putting you on corticosteroids temporarily, to try and boost your system into the remission, whilst the Humira works itself into effect. But as I'm sure you know, steroids aren't something we give without significant consideration, particularly in your case. I believe your previous experience with steroids involved some nasty side effects." She looked to Beca for confirmation, receiving a definitive nod in response.

"So," she continued. "It is now a matter of how you feel about your symptoms right now. Would you like to wait for the Humira to kick in, or are the symptoms affecting you enough that you need an extra boost?"

For Beca, this was almost a no-brainer. Back in the early days of her condition, Beca had been on steroids, and it was not a pleasant experience. Not something she would want to go through again if she had the choice. When it came down to symptoms vs risk of side effects, she would rather deal with the symptoms at this stage.

"I think I'll take my chances with the symptoms." She told the doctor decidedly.

Both Jesse and Stacie, as well as Dr Griffin were not at all surprised by this response. That girl put up with a hell of a lot, and was extremely stubborn when it came to these things.

"Okay then." Dr Griffin began moving around to Beca's now-empty fluid bag hanging by her head, and exchanged the old one for a new full one. "And you are still taking the vitamins and supplements I prescribed you?"

Beca nodded. "Yep."

"Okay good. I've given you a top up of vitamins and nutrition in this second IV, so that should help things some more. Now, I'll get a nurse to give you that shot and take some blood, and as soon as this bag of fluids is empty, you can leave."

Beca nodded eagerly.

"But," the doctor held up a finger pointedly, "if you begin to feel unwell again, or if the symptoms worsen or the fatigue is too much, promise me that you will let me know." She spoke in a serious tone, hoping it would prevent the girl from arguing back.

"I will." Beca agreed, thinking that the terms put forward were reasonable enough.

"And," Jesse added. "You need to eat more so you get more nutrition into you!" He urged, looking to the doctor for support.

Beca rolled her eyes, preparing to defend herself with all the reasons why it wasn't _that_ simple (and _really,_ Jesse should know this by now), when Dr Griffin stepped in, with the actual facts.

"Well actually Jesse, due to the location of the inflammation in Beca's intestine, it is quite likely that even when she does eat large amounts, she is probably not absorbing all of the nutrients in the food she eats. The inflammation that the Crohn's causes can interfere with the proper absorption of nutrients from food."

Their eyes moved over to Beca now, who was nodding in agreement. She added something in, reassuring everyone. "I eat a healthy amount most of the time, I am just really careful of when I eat. Yes, I do skip meals when I don't feel well enough, but I can assure you, I am not starving myself of nutrition. I'm not that stupid." She finished her piece with a smirk.

Dr Griffin smiled at the last statement. "And I am glad to hear that! I will see you later Beca. Take care."

Beca waved the doctor off before turning back to her friends. "Now let's finish this IV and get out of here."

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 **A/N: to , thank you for the feedback, I am working on your request :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: A few things...**

 **1\. I am extremely sorry for the long wait. Life has been very busy lately.**

 **2\. BUT I promise that I will never give up on the story. Some updates just might take longer than others. I just didn't want to give you guys a crappy chapter by rushing it (so I hope this one isn't crappy haha)**

 **3\. a) This chapter was added in as an unplanned addition, which is also why it took longer to write. So, (b), your opinions would be great :)**

 **4\. Thank you all for reading/following/favouriting and of course reviewing!**

 **5\. And just a casual reminder, that I COULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS STORY WITHOUT iamacrepe.**

 **6\. Fun fact (because I find it extremely important that you know this :P ), FF won't let me post a double question-mark... or swear in my PM's...**

 **Also, a warning, there is a bit of a flashback in this chapter, so I hope it makes sense :)**

 **I hope you enjoy! And continue to have a lovely week! :D**

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Chloe stood in the entrance of the Bellas' House, taking in the odd silence of the place. Aubrey had just dropped her off, and was going back to her own apartment to unpack and prepare for her classes in the coming week.

It seemed that no one else was home in the Bellas' House, which was a very rare event. Even with most of the girls returning later on in the day, there should have been three of them still somewhere around the place. Or maybe two (Lilly wasn't often _seen_ around the place). But there were none.

Chloe had been looking forward to seeing Beca when she got back, after being apart for this long. She had even come home earlier in the day so she could have some time alone with the DJ before everyone else returned. _She must be at the radio station or with Jesse,_ the redhead thought to herself.

Slightly disappointed but determined not to let that dampen her spirit, Chloe made her way up the stairs to their bedroom, glad to be back at Barden. It was home for her, and she had missed the place whilst she was away.

She hummed to herself as she started unpacking, thinking of the great time she had on break. But in no time Chloe found her mind wandering to a certain brunette, as she glanced over at the empty bed on the other side of the room. The break had been a great opportunity for her to figure out what she was going to do about the 'Beca situation'. And unsurprisingly, neither co-captain had been able to go without messaging the other during that time.

* * *

 _And now we go back in time…_

* * *

Only a day after she and Aubrey had arrived at her brother Michael's house, Chloe had received a message from her favourite brunette, with a photo attachment.

The photo was of the three girls left at Barden, all collapsed on the floor of the auditorium in their rehearsal clothes, covered in sweat. The message read:

 _Beca: Evidence for the drill sergeant. We rehearsed AND did some cardio too! I want bonus points for voluntary cardio._

Chloe had broken out into a huge grin, before she responded with a selfie of her smiling, with the view from her brother's yard in the background. He lived by the beach, of course.

 _Chloe: Good effort Becs! It's not easy to rehearse with only three people :) Bonus points granted! Are you jealous of the view we have here?_

And they had continued on with their usual back-and-forth for the rest of the day, before Aubrey had forced Chloe to put the phone down and join her on the beach.

* * *

It was only a couple days later that Michael had caught Chloe grinning like an idiot as she read another one of Beca's messages. He decided to finally bring up the topic that she had been avoiding so far.

"So, little sis, how are you doing on the love life front? Talking to someone special there?" He asked with raised eyebrows, nodding towards the phone.

Chloe had hesitated initially, unsure of what to say as she put the phone away in her pocket. "Well, there's nothing really exciting been happening, I guess."

Aubrey scoffed immediately. "Yeah right. Tell him Chloe." She urged, knowing it would be good for the redhead to get it off her chest to someone who was unfamiliar to the whole situation.

Michael leaned back in his chair, now extra curious about the topic of his sister's love life. "Yeah tell me Chlo. Obviously there is something going on with you, because you have been avoiding this whole topic the entire time you've been here. Not to mention you've been glued to your phone all day. And my sister does not hold back on sharing the details of her crushes. If there's a hot dude or chick in your classes, you've always told me."

Chloe sighed, seemingly troubled. "Yeah, you're right. This time it's different though. This one is complicated."

Michael looked over to Aubrey questioningly, waiting for more of an explanation. "You know the socially awkward DJ in the Barden Bellas?"

Michael nodded in confirmation. "Ooh her? Beca, right?" He squinted as he tried to remember the girl's name.

Chloe joined back in the conversation with a "Yep. That's her."

"So are you going to tell me what's so different and complicated about your crush on Beca?" He prompted, finding it strange to see his sister's reluctance.

This seemed to work, as Chloe started to explain. "It's not just some 'crush', Michael. I really care about her. She's my best friend, my roommate _and_ my co-captain. I don't want to screw it all up. But I can't help the feelings I have for her. I've never felt this strongly about someone before."

This was the first time Michael was hearing of how serious Chloe's feelings for Beca were. Sure, she had had many crushes in the past, and had been in relationships before. But she had never felt this seriously about someone. She had never been so worried about how things would turn out. This time, it was the real deal, and that seemed to scare Chloe. She didn't want to mess it up.

Chloe leant her head on her arms on the bench in front of her, troubled by her situation. Michael looked back to Aubrey again, eyebrows raised once again in surprise.

"Yeah" Aubrey replied quietly, understanding Michael's thoughts without needing words. They both knew Chloe so well, and it was hard to see her so troubled over her feelings for another person. Aubrey had questioned the redhead in the car on their long drive down, and had gotten the same response from the girl; one of confusion and uncertainty.

Chloe lifted her head back up, still having more to say. "And I've been dropping hints and trying to talk to her, but…"

"But the girl is completely oblivious." Aubrey piped in, her irritation at Beca showing through.

Chloe turned her head immediately to scold the blonde. "Aubrey! Don't say that." Defending Beca, as always.

"Well it's true." The response came just as Aubrey's phone began to buzz on the table beside her. She glanced apologetically at Chloe, seeing the caller ID on the screen. "Sorry Chloe, I have to take this. It's my father."

Chloe nodded in understanding. It was never a good sign when Aubrey got a call from her father. They weren't on the best of terms, and any interaction lately would result in an upset and/or very frustrated Aubrey.

"That won't end well." She said knowingly to her brother.

"He's still on her case?" Michael was well aware of the situation with Aubrey and her family. Over the years that Chloe and Aubrey had known each other, there were a number of instances where the blonde was invited to join Chloe over the break to visit her family. The Beale's were always very welcoming to the girl, and for that she was grateful.

"Yeah. There's always something."

"Damn. So are you going to do something about this "oblivious" crush of yours?" He quizzed her further.

"I really don't know. What if I do talk to her about it, and she turns me down? Or she already has a boyfriend or girlfriend? What if she thinks I'm a weirdo for ever thinking about her like that? What if she never talks to me again? At least if I don't say anything, I know she will still be my best friend. She won't hate my guts."

"But what if you tell her and she tells you that she feels the same? From what Aubrey said, just because you've been dropping hints and Beca hasn't responded, doesn't mean that she doesn't feel the same." Michael tried to reason with her.

"But I told Beca that I had feelings for someone, and that person was a close friend, and that I didn't want to change things between us." Chloe tried to reason back, throwing fuel on the fire of irrational thoughts she was having. She had been thinking about it over and over again, and had the opinion that this admission would be enough for Beca to understand that _she_ was the one Chloe had feelings for.

"And how did she react?"

"Well, she kind of fell asleep in the middle of our conversation, so I'm not really sure." The younger sibling admitted.

Michael lifted his hands up into the air. "Well there you go. Chances are, she still doesn't know you have feelings for her. Or maybe Beca is in the same situation as you, and is worried about whether _you_ feel the same. Look Chlo, there are a lot of 'what ifs' here, but you will never know if you don't _talk_ to her. If you ask me, I think you should just be honest. I mean, do you really want to spend the rest of the time you have with Beca, _just_ being friends?"

Chloe looked down, realising that her brother had a good point.

"All I'm saying, is that sometimes it is good to take the risk. You don't want to look back and wonder 'what if?'."

Chloe nodded. "Yeah. I guess you're right." She stood up and moved in to embrace Michael. "Thanks bro. You always know what to say."

He smiled and returned the embrace, glad to have helped out his sister. Hopefully now things would be clearer for her, and maybe she would finally get the girl!

"My pleasure. I'm happy to help, Chloe, always. But if we're all good right this second, I have to go meet Natasha for lunch." His expression was one of questioning, asking permission to leave now that they had dealt with Chloe's problem.

"Yes, go. Have a nice time! Say 'hi' to the girlfriend for me." Chloe grinned, back to her usual self.

"I will. See you a bit later."

* * *

After waving her brother off, Chloe made her way outside, in the direction that Aubrey had headed to a while ago. She found the blonde sitting on the back steps, her phone sitting next to her on the floor, as the girl stared out into the yard with troubled eyes.

"I take it that your conversation didn't go so well?" Chloe asked sympathetically, as she lowered herself down to sit next to her best friend.

Aubrey looked up, shaking her head. "Nope. My father read an article in the newspaper, and rang me to lecture me on why he thinks I should transfer to law studies, and become a lawyer like him. We have had this conversation a million times. I don't want to be a lawyer. I don't want to have to defend guilty people. Not to mention, the whole stress of being a lawyer would be terrible for my stress-vomiting."

Chloe internally shuddered at the mention of Aubrey's stress-vomit situation, but nodded along to the rest of the blonde's words.

"I like studying Actuarial Science. And it's one of the hardest courses to get into at grad school. But I did it. And I'm getting straight A's. I have a 4.0 GPA. Why can't he be satisfied with that?" She exclaimed, moving her hands around in frustration.

Chloe immediately moved to wrap her arms around the wound-up girl, hoping to help calm her down with this comforting gesture.

"I don't know Aubrey. He just has the wrong priorities in mind. Forget about your dad. You've got a family in the Bellas, and we will always support you in whatever you do. Even if you choose to study something that sounds kind of boring – and I say this with all my love, – I think you will make a great actuary. I'm so proud of you. And you have already been a big help to the Bellas with the finance side of things."

Success. Aubrey was smiling at Chloe's words.

"Aww Chlo. You are so sweet. And I'm glad I've got you and the Bellas. It just hurts that I don't have the support of my father." She looked down, sadness overcoming the blonde once more.

Chloe squeezed the girl tight in support. "I know it does."

"I miss my mom so much." The uptight blonde wasn't one for showing much emotion usually, however this was one of those times when she did. The girl blinked as tears began to make their way slowly down her face.

Chloe softened even more (if that was even possible) at seeing the hurt in her best friend's eyes, and held on tighter. "Oh Bree. I'm so sorry. I wish there was something I could do."

"I know."

"But I do know this: your mom would be so proud of you for following your dreams and doing what makes you happy."

"Thanks Chlo." The blonde gave a small half-smile.

After a few minutes of sitting there in silence, Aubrey sat back up, wiping her cheeks as she did so. She was now determined to think about something else, trying to distract herself. "So, have you got this whole 'Beca situation' sorted yet? What did I miss?"

Chloe nodded. "Yes. It is decided." She spoke resolutely. "I'm going to talk to her when we get back. Michael gave a pretty convincing argument. But you might want to have the chocolates and tissues ready, just in case."

"No Chlo. I'm sure if that girl has any sense in her at all, we won't be needing the chocolates and tissues. I'm glad you've decided to do something about your feelings. I don't like this uncertain look on you Chloe, it's not like you at all." They both chuckled at this, knowing of Chloe's usual confident demeanour, and she agreed with Aubrey: it wasn't fun having all these feelings of uncertainty and such to deal with.

"I don't know. Who knows how she will react. I'm just really nervous about it now." The ginger admitted, still hung up on the situation.

"There is nothing you can do about it right this instant, so try and put it to the back of your mind for the rest of the time we have here, and enjoy yourself." Aubrey reasoned with her, in the hopes that it would now calm down the redhead.

"Yeah I can try." Chloe agreed.

"And, we will leave here first thing Friday morning, so you can talk to her before the other girls get back. Okay?"

Chloe nodded. "Thanks Bree."

* * *

 _Back to the future we come. Or rather, the present…_

* * *

Chloe was pulled out of her reminiscing when she heard raised voices coming from downstairs. Apparently someone else was home now.

 _"And you act like it would be easy for me to just tell everyone everything!"_

Yep. That was Beca. But who was she talking to, or rather, shouting at?

After a small battle within herself on whether she should go down there and let her presence be known, or whether she should give Beca and whoever she was with, some privacy, Chloe began to descend the stairs, too excited to see her Bella sisters after a week apart.

As she made her way down the second stairway, the redhead was trying to figure out what else was being said. It seemed serious, and she couldn't help herself; her natural curiosity got the better of her. But fortunately for Beca and whoever else was down there, Chloe was only able to make out a few words here and there. Namely the words ' _hiding something'_. What was going on?


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Hey! New chapter and it's not 2 weeks late :O**

 **Thanks for all the amazing reviews, you guys are truly awesome.**

 **And it seems to be popular opinion that Chloe needs to find out soon... I guess you will have to keep reading to find out ;)**

 **Big thank you to iamacrepe, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter :)**

* * *

After being let out of the hospital, Beca had agreed to let Jesse drive both her and Stacie home, so that she could rest up from the ordeal. No more radio station for the DJ on this day, and luckily for Jesse and Stacie, she didn't put up a fight over it. Beca knew (sometimes) when to take her health serious, and this was a day when she should not try and push herself.

On the short ride home, Beca had made sure that both of her friends knew not to speak of this situation to anyone, and for the rest of the ride, Stacie had been quiet. Beca too, but that was expected for someone who had just been in hospital. So it was Jesse who filled the silence with ease, rambling on about whatever popped into his mind. When they arrived at the Bellas' House, the two girls bid the Treble goodbye, promising to let him know if Beca's health took another turn for the worse.

As the two walked in the front door, Stacie spoke up, knowing that there would be no-one else in the house to overhear their conversation.

"Do you think it's time you told Chloe and the others about all this, Beca?" The tall brunette spoke with uncertainty. Though she thought it was the best thing for Beca to do, she was not expecting a very positive response from the sick girl. But she had to try. In Stacie's eyes, having Beca be open about her secret was in the girl's best interest.

Beca turned around to face Stacie, a little surprised at this topic being brought up. Her eyebrows were raised as she questioned her friend's suggestion.

"Why? Do you?"

"Yeah, I do."

Beca narrowed her eyes, not liking where this was going.

"Seriously? Nothing has changed. There is no reason for me to suddenly decide to tell everyone about this. I kept it a secret for a reason, Stacie. Several, actually."

Stacie tried to remind herself that she was looking at this from a medical perspective, of what was best for Beca, and not particularly what Beca wanted, as she continued.

"Of course things have changed. You were just in hospital for god's sake! What if something like that happens again when Jesse or me aren't there? What if one of the Bellas is there and they have no idea what is happening with you? What then?" The girl raised her voice.

"I can deal with it. And this was a one-time thing. I don't plan on visiting the hospital again any time soon." Beca defended, certain that she would not be revealing any secrets to the Bellas in the near future.

Stacie rolled her eyes. "You act like you have a choice in the matter. It's not like you can choose when you are going to get sick, or stop it from happening."

"And you act like it would be easy for me to just tell everyone everything!"

"Come on Beca. You have been keeping this secret from Chloe for such a long time. Do you really want to hurt her, by hiding this from her? She's not an idiot. She will find out eventually. You know, before I found out, she asked me if I'd noticed anything strange about you. You were skipping meals, sleeping lots, hanging out in the bathroom a lot" – Beca blushed at this, embarrassed at her inability to hide her symptoms, especially the last one – "And ever since I found out, you and I have been talking more in secret, and acting like we are hiding something. _I_ don't want to have to lie to her, or any of the other girls, about this. Imagine how Chloe will feel if she figures it all out and _you_ weren't the one to tell her?"

Right at that moment, footsteps began echoing as someone made their way down the last few steps of the stairway. Both girls spun around in shock, having expected the house to be empty. It was too early for the arrival of any of the girls, they had all planned on coming back later on in the day, so that they could have as much time with their families as they could.

Both girls gulped when it was Chloe who appeared at the bottom of the stairs, frowning slightly at the raised voices and apparent argument that seemed to be going on between the two brunettes.

"Hey girls!" She put away the frown for the time being, as the excitement from seeing her friends again, or more specifically Beca, took over.

Beca and Stacie were instantly snapped out of their shocked state, as they returned the overexcited greeting with small smiles in welcome. Neither really reached their eyes though; both girls were too focussed on their discussion.

Beca ran a hand through her hair, blinking as she registered Chloe's unexpected presence in the house with them. "Chloe, I didn't think you guys were getting back until later tonight?"

"Yeah, Bree wanted to get back earlier so she has more time to prepare for school going back, so here I am." The redhead grinned, happy to be back. Obviously, she wasn't in the mind to reveal her real reasoning for returning early right this second. But only a moment later, her excitement subsided, as she became aware of the tense situation between the girls in front of her. "Is everything okay?" She frowned, glancing between the two.

Stacie was the first to respond. "Everything is peachy. Welcome back! We'll be back in a second," she excused herself and Beca, as she dragged the shorter girl out the front door for some privacy.

Chloe stood there in shock as she waited for the two to return from their private chat, wondering what it was that they would want to hide from her. What secrets were they talking about when she had entered the room? She turned around and headed back up to their bedroom, deciding to instead do some more unpacking whilst she waited, as feelings of disappointment and sadness surfaced to her mind. _Why would they want to keep something from_ me _?_

* * *

Once outside, clear of the listening range of Chloe, Stacie stopped and let go of Beca's arm.

The DJ kept her eyes on the ground as she pondered her friend's words. But she still felt as though she only had one choice.

"Stacie, you know that I hate keeping this a secret from Chloe, and from all of our friends. I really do. And I hate to ask you to do the same, but when you forced me to tell you the truth, you gave up the right to tell anyone else. This is not your secret to tell." Beca's voice was stern, commanding, as she held her ground.

Stacie nodded. "I know, and I understand that. I won't tell anyone, I promise you that. I just don't understand why you refuse to tell them. What could be _so_ bad about your Crohn's being out in the open?" Stacie's voice took on a tone of pleading, as she tried to understand why Beca was so adamant about this.

Beca was now becoming frustrated. Stacie clearly didn't understand. She ran both hands through her hair before looking back up at the tall brunette, clearly stressed out about this.

"Do you think it was easy for me to admit to you that I have Crohn's disease? Nothing about Crohn's is _fun_ , or positive. It's _bowel_ issues, and nausea, and weight loss, and stomach aches, and fatigue, and colonoscopies and meds, and hospital. Not only is this embarrassing for me, but people look at me differently when they find out. It's like I'm always this sick person; like I have a disgusting disease. If I told the Bellas, if I told _Chloe,_ none of them would look at me the same. I don't want them to have to deal with this too. To see what it is really like. Crohn's is not glamorous. It is better if they don't know." She finished with a quieter voice, hoping desperately that Stacie would now understand, and back off.

But to Beca's disappointment, the taller girl was wearing an expression of sympathy for her.

"Look, I get why you don't want to tell anyone, and it is totally up to you. But, all of those things you said, I really don't think any of the Bellas would ever pity you or find it disgusting. I thought you knew us better than that. You can trust us, Beca." The girl's eyes held some sadness in them, as she got the impression that Beca did not trust the Bellas enough to share her personal secret.

Beca huffed, still frustrated. Unfortunately for her, she was not in a good frame of mind, what with her already-eventful day. Her body was still struggling, and it was taking a toll on her mind. Which is why she couldn't help but look past Stacie's hurt, and instead focus on the expression of sympathy she had received beforehand. It was easier to be angry than to try and reason through everything.

"See? That!" She pointed at Stacie's face. "The sympathetic look that you just gave me, is exactly what I do not want. You don't need to feel sorry for me. But you just don't understand that. And neither will the other girls, if I tell them." By now, her hands were flying around, adding to the sense of exasperation she was giving off.

At this moment, a light bulb went off inside Stacie. _Oh you idiot!_ She thought to herself. _Why on Earth did I think it would be a good idea to talk to her about this when she has been in hospital today?! Of course Beca isn't thinking straight, she must be exhausted._

She took a step back, hands held up in surrender. "It's not that I feel sorry for you Beca. I just hate that you think of your Crohn's like that. It is nothing to be ashamed of. But I'm going to head out for a walk now, and let you have some space. You should rest up. And don't forget to take your medication."

And with that, the tall brunette turned and walked until she was out of sight.

"How could I forget?" Beca mumbled out in response, inaudible to anyone else.

She stood there for a moment, before heading back inside, grudgingly agreeing with her friend about needing to rest.

As she entered her and Chloe's room, she found the redhead unpacking the last of her clothes into her drawers.

Chloe turned around as soon as she heard Beca's arrival at the top of the stairs, and immediately turned her attention to her roommate.

"Hey, is everything okay?" She asked, concern laced through her voice.

Beca took a deep breath, trying to keep her frustration under control as she responded. "Yeah, of course. Everything is all good." She tried her best to sound honest.

Chloe looked sceptical, but hesitant to say anything.

"It's just, you guys didn't sound too happy before." She said slowly, noticing Beca's eyes widen anxiously as the brunette realised again that Chloe may have overheard some things. "Don't worry, I didn't hear anything." Beca relaxed visibly.

"Oh that was just a disagreement. Stacie keeps forgetting to wash the dishes when it's her turn." Beca brushed it off as something so trivial.

But such a lie couldn't get past the redhead, who tilted her head, knowingly.

"It seemed like you guys were arguing about a bit more than just dirty dishes. And you look kind of pale right now. Seriously Beca, is there something you're not telling me?"

"What?" Beca tried her best to look perplexed. "Not that I know of."

"I don't believe you. You've been acting strange for a while now, and for some stupid reason I've tried to let it go every time you lie or hide the truth from me, but I just – " But she was cut off by the brunette.

"Seriously? Is this 'Interrogate Beca Day'?" She raised her eyebrows, accompanying the sarcastic question.

Chloe was taken aback by this. "I just thought…" She began quietly, hesitant to speak once again.

"What?" Beca countered. "That it would be okay for you to snoop into my personal business?"

"Beca, I'm worried about you."

"Well you don't need to be. I'm – " This time, Chloe cut Beca off.

"Fine" She raised her hands in quotation mark gestures, finally frustrated with Beca's secrecy. Her voice was laced with sarcasm and hurt when she spoke up again. "Yeah I got that. You are always 'fine'. When are you going to stop hiding things from me?!" Now it was the redhead's turn to fight back, as she saw through Beca's front.

"Look, Chloe. I need you to back off, you keep asking me way too many questions. You should worry about your studies instead." Beca spoke with a raised voice, sick of all the questions she was getting, and desperately needing for the redhead to let it go.

Chloe's mouth fell open in shock. Beca had never once told her to back off. Even though the older girl was known for being very up-close and personal with people, Beca had never actually resisted it.

Beca took this chance to turn around and exit the room, speaking as she grabbed her bag from where she left it at the front door and made her way out towards the bus stop. "I'm going out."

In this moment, the brunette was not thinking clearly at all. Her mind felt all muddled up from the events of that day, and now here she was fighting with not only Stacie, but also Chloe. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball with her hot water bottle and sleep. But right now, she figured, it wouldn't be a good idea to hang around the house after she snapped at Chloe. The DJ felt herself calming down a little as she blasted her music through her ears whilst she waited for the bus to take her to her dad's place. There she could have a sleep and recover a bit, and think about things in quiet.

* * *

 **A/N:** **So I know we all hate it when our favourite couple fights, but it can't be all unicorns and rainbows, so I had to mix it up a bit. Sorry, and please don't hate me. I promise it will get better ;)**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: voila! A new chapter :)**

 **Special thanks to iamacrepe! I say this every update, but I mean it, she is amazing :D**

 **I'm kind of sorry for making you guys wait by dragging it out, but I'm also kinda not-sorry :P I don't know how to write it any other way :)**

 **As always, I'd love to hear what you think :D Thanks for reading!**

 **I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

Back in the captains' bedroom, Chloe was sitting down on her bed in shock. There were tears making their way down her face. Chloe never thought Beca would snap at her like this, or tell her to back off. She was just worried about her best friend, and there was clearly something going on with her. Not to mention that her and Stacie seemed to be having a very personal argument earlier. Was Beca hiding a relationship with the taller brunette? And was there something else as well that she wasn't telling her co-captain?

Chloe pulled out her phone and did the only thing she could think of to do in a situation like this: call her other best friend. Aubrey picked up after only two rings, knowing it was Chloe by the caller ID she had recently got on her phone.

 _"_ _Chloe, I only saw you an hour ago. What's up?"_

Chloe sniffled audibly. _"Bree…"_

Aubrey immediately picked up that something was not right with Chloe. " _Chlo? What happened? Are you okay?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, it's just… Beca, well she and I got in a sort of fight and…"_

 _"_ _I can't believe that bitch! I'll be there in 10."_

After they said their goodbyes, the blonde turned to her boyfriend, who had come over to welcome her home from the trip.

"I am going to _kill_ Beca!"

Jesse straightened up in his spot on the couch, as soon as he heard this, confused at what was going on. "What do you mean? What happened?" He had been with the brunette in question only moments before coming to greet his girlfriend. Surely Beca couldn't have gotten into any trouble in that short time?

Aubrey was now moving around, grabbing her handbag and keys as she prepared to leave. "She made Chloe cry. That's what. I don't know for sure what exactly happened, but Chloe said they had a fight, so I'm going over there to find out." She turned to give Jesse a kiss goodbye. "I'm sorry I have to leave, when I only just got back. But Chloe needs me."

Jesse waved it off in understanding. "No, I totally get it. Call me later on, yeah?"

Aubrey nodded, and with that she was gone out the door.

A moment later and Jesse was on his phone to Beca, determined to get to the bottom of this. After taking her to the hospital earlier that day, Jesse presumed the DJ would be resting up all day, and definitely not getting in fights with her roommate and crush.

 _Jesse: Chloe just rang Aubrey, upset. Apparently you two had a fight? Are you okay?_

His phone lit up with a response almost immediately.

 _Beca: I don't know. I think I just screwed everything up._

 _Jesse: Do you want to talk about it?_

He doubted the girl would actually want to talk, but the offer was still there.

 _Beca: I'm at my dad's place. Bring soup._

Pushing the surprise at Beca's willingness for company to the back of his mind, Jesse set about getting himself ready to leave, mentally planning out where he would stop to buy the soup, something easier for Beca's digestive system to tolerate at this moment.

Half an hour later, the two were sitting upstairs in Beca's room, drinking soup and talking through things. Beca was sitting up in bed, her back against the pillows, and a hot water bottle laying across her stomach to comfort her, as Jesse sat in the desk chair nearby, his feet up sitting comfortably on the desk in the room.

Neither Beca's dad nor her step-mum were anywhere to be seen, they were out at an event for Sheila's work.

Beca had explained everything to Jesse, including what Stacie was suggesting, and what Chloe was asking about.

"Arghh, my head was just so fuzzy from earlier, I wasn't thinking straight. And I had to go and screw things up by snapping at both of them. What am I going to do Jess?" She was holding her head in her hands, clearly distressed by the situation.

Jesse sat in silence for a moment, as he contemplated how to respond. "Well, obviously you should apologize for snapping at both of them. And Stacie will understand, if you just explain to her how your brain isn't fully functioning today, things will be fine with her." Beca nodded, hoping her friend was right.

"As for Chloe," he continued. "Well I guess you need to decide what you are going to tell her, or _if_ you are going to tell her about your secret. I can't tell you what to say, that is your job. But I will say this: no matter what, we will all always love you. Knowing about your secret doesn't make me, or Stacie, or anyone else think of you as anything less than a true badass. To me, you are still the same Beca." He finished in a soft voice.

Beca sighed in resignation, "Yeah that's what Stacie said."

"Because she is right! I'm not saying that I think you should tell everyone, but if the only reason you haven't told people is because of how you think they will see you, then you shouldn't let that stop you."

Beca nodded, knowing she had a lot to think about. Though her talk with Jesse had eased her mind a bit, there were still reasons she did not want to share her secret, but she would definitely have to do something about Chloe's suspicion. She just wasn't sure what that was just yet.

"Thanks dude. You're a good friend." She smiled gratefully.

"No problemo, and I know, I'm pretty awesome." Jesse's tone was joking, as he made light of the situation.

"Now I hate to ruin the mood, but are you planning on doing anything about that crush you have on the blue-eyed redhead?"

Beca blushed immediately, but then looked down at the floor solemnly. "I don't want to do anything about it if I'm still keeping a secret from her. And I don't want to be a burden to her, what with being sick and all. Ugh this is all so complicated. But that is if she even feels the same way. I still don't know. I mean, she mentioned she had a crush on someone a few weeks ago, and she was asking me about it, but I couldn't tell what she meant, I was really worn out that day. Oh god, what if she likes someone else?" But she was stopped in her tracks by Jesse's phone buzzing with a new text message.

* * *

 _Back at the Bellas' House after the fight…_

Aubrey power walked up the pathway and straight into the house, seeing as the front door was left open from Beca's abrupt exit. When she reached Beca and Chloe's room, she found her best friend sitting on her bed, knees brought up to her chest as she rested her chin on her knees. There were clear tear-streaks down the redhead's cheeks, and she was looking rather sorrowful. Aubrey immediately went over to give the girl a hug, knowing that this was the best way to comfort Chloe when she was upset.

"Hey Bree." Chloe greeted weakly.

"Hey Chlo." The blonde spoke softly. "Do you want to tell me what is going on?" After pulling back from their hug, the girls sat down on Chloe's bed, the redhead returning to her former position, and the blonde sitting cross-legged at the opposite end of the bed.

"I don't really know, I think I caught Beca at a bad time or something. I got home and nobody was there, but not long after, Beca and Stacie came in, and they were fighting over something. It sounded personal, but I didn't really hear much. They went outside as soon as they realised I was home. So I asked Beca about it when she came back in, and she got all angry and defensive." Chloe paused for a moment, as she grabbed for a tissue to blow her nose. Aubrey waited patiently, feeling the anger bubbling up inside her at the DJ for upsetting her friend.

"And then I asked her if she was hiding something from me, because I've noticed she just seems a little off, like there is something she isn't telling me. And every time I ask her, she brushes it off, or doesn't give me a proper answer." Aubrey nodded, realising that maybe Chloe was right in suspecting something of Beca.

"But she denied it as usual, and got really aggressive, like I was being too nosy. Bree, what if her and Stacie are a 'thing'? It makes sense with all the time they've been spending together. I really like her, and I don't think I can ignore my feelings." She looked down at her hands, as they fidgeted with the edge of her quilt.

Aubrey took a deep breath, trying to figure out where best to start on comforting her friend. "Well, first thing's first. Has she actually said anything about her and Stacie being together?"

Chloe shook her head.

"Well then you won't know what is going on between them until you ask. Just maybe do it when she is in a better mood. And if she snaps at you again, I swear to the aca-gods I will – " She didn't get to finish that thought, because Chloe intervened, defending the DJ.

"Bree! Don't say that, I'm sure she was just in a bad mood after her argument with Stacie."

"Chloe you shouldn't be defending her. That alt-girl hurt you, and I won't forgive her for that."

Chloe sighed, "Can we just focus on what we were talking about, without deciding on how to kill Beca?"

Aubrey huffed in resignation, her hands raised in surrender. "Fine. Where was I? You two need to have an honest to god conversation, holding nothing back. You need to confront her about this 'thing' with Stacie, so you know if there is anything actually there. And tell her how you feel! We already decided on this back in Florida. You like her, she likes you, it shouldn't be that hard."

Chloe took on a doubtful expression, not believing her friend when she said that Beca liked her back. Aubrey picked up on this immediately and had a comeback at the ready.

"Seriously Chlo, _how_ can you not see that?" She asked, eyebrows raised.

"Well for one she has never mentioned it or acted on it. Don't you think she would have done something about it by now?"

Aubrey scoffed. "Yeah, like _you've_ done something about it?" She spoke sarcastically. "She's acting like a scaredy-cat, just like you are."

Chloe tilted her head back in disbelief. Aubrey's bluntness in this conversation was quite the shock to the system.

The blonde continued on with her speech. "And make her talk to you about this 'secret' or whatever you think that she is hiding." She finished resolutely.

But Chloe was still doubtful of the success rate of such a plan. "But what if she brushes me off again?"

"Just tell her how you feel, and that should be enough to get the girl to tell you anything you want. If you ask in the right tone and give her the sad eyes, she won't be able to resist you. I'm surprised she has managed to resist it for so long, there are a lot of things that only _you_ can get Beca to do." Aubrey spoke knowingly; she had witnessed the relationship between the two, and had seen how much of an effect the redhead had on Beca.

Chloe sat there for a moment, pondering the meaning of Aubrey's words, and wondering if she was right.

"And if all else fails, you don't need her in your life if she is going to keep brushing you off and being so stubborn."

"But she won't." Chloe reassured her friend, now confident that she would be able to get something out of Beca. Hopefully they would clear everything up. She didn't want to think about her friend's final words; having Beca in her life was a must.

"Okay. I'm glad we got that sorted. Are you okay now?" Aubrey looked Chloe in the eyes, making sure her friend was indeed okay.

Chloe nodded assertively. "Yeah, all good. I think I heard a car door, the other girls should be arriving soon, I should get downstairs." And with that, she got up off the bed and walked into the bathroom, aiming to clean up her face, and remove any sign of her earlier crying.

Aubrey stood up from the bed too, now thinking about where she would find Beca. She really needed to talk to the girl and give her a piece of her mind, and make sure that the DJ would willingly talk to her best friend. Deciding that she had no time to go searching, and her boyfriend would most likely know where to find the girl, Aubrey sent off a text to Jesse.

"Hey Chlo, I'm going to head home now if you're okay, I need to unpack and do some study."

Chloe returned from the bathroom, looking much better. "Yeah sure, I've got the girls here, whoever just arrived, to keep me company, so I'll be fine."

"I'll see you tomorrow at rehearsals then."

"See you."

* * *

 _Aubrey (to Jesse): Do you know where Beca is? I really need to talk to her._

 _Beca (to Aubrey): What do you want Aubrey?_

 _Aubrey: Where the hell are you? We need to talk. Right now. Don't even try to lie or avoid me._

Beca sighed, knowing that Aubrey would not stop until she got what she wanted, so the DJ figured they may as well have their conversation at her father's house. No doubt Aubrey wanted to talk about what happened between Beca and Chloe earlier that day.

 _Beca: I'm at my dad's house. 5 Willow Drive._

She took a deep breath as she waited for the blonde to arrive, unsure of what was to come, but knowing it couldn't be anything good, judging by Aubrey's text message.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Once again, thanks so much to iamacrepe, and thanks as always to everyone for reading/reviewing/following/favouriting. Your reviews are always so heart-warming, and it makes a world of difference :D I love all of you awesome nerds ;)**

 **Enjoy :D**

* * *

Soon enough, there was a knock at the front door, and Jesse volunteered to go and answer it, giving Beca a moment by herself upstairs. She thought it would be better if she wasn't sitting in bed looking sick, however the DJ really couldn't be bothered to get up. She still felt pretty crappy from the earlier events of the day. And besides, it was not like Aubrey would be concerned about Beca's welfare enough to ask, or notice her state.

Back downstairs, Aubrey was a little surprised to see Jesse at the front door of Beca's father's house. But, knowing that they were close friends, she got over the surprise quickly. The two must have been together when she first messaged Jesse.

"Hey, babe." He greeted.

"Hey Jess. Is she here?" The blonde got straight down to business.

"Yeah, she's upstairs," he gestured in the direction of the stairway. "First door on the left. I'll keep an eye on you guys from down here, in case one of you tries to kill the other." He joked.

Aubrey rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Thanks for the directions."

She made her way up the stairs and entered the room that Jesse had indicated to her.

"What happened to you?" Aubrey was surprised to see Beca in bed, looking worse for wear.

The brunette shrugged. "Long day."

"Oh taking your shit out on Chloe was tiring for you?" Aubrey snapped, holding nothing back as she rolled her eyes.

"Wow. You don't waste any time." Beca sat up straighter, slipping her legs over the side of the bed so that her feet now rested on the floor.

"What the hell Beca?! Chloe is just worried about you and you think it is okay to be a bitch to her about it?"

Beca tried to defend herself, but Aubrey was on a roll. Before the words left the DJ's mouth, the older girl was holding a hand up in a gesture to shut her up.

"No. You don't get to talk right now. You get that you keep hurting Chloe, right?" Beca looked away, feeling the guilt pile up, but remained silent as Aubrey continued on her rant.

"She _likes_ you, Beca. Do you not see that? All the girl has been trying to do is get you to open up to her, and all you do is shut her out and brush her off like she doesn't matter." Aubrey's hands were moving animatedly as she spoke, emphasizing her point.

This time though, Beca had to interrupt. " _That_ is not true. I care about her too." The brunette was standing her ground, and refusing to let Aubrey think that she didn't care for her friend. Though she didn't have time to think about Aubrey's first words properly. _That_ would take a little more time to set in.

The blonde raised her eyebrows challengingly. "You have a funny way of showing it." She paused for a moment before continuing.

"Do me a favour. Answer this truthfully. Is there something going on between you and Stacie?" Aubrey was giving Beca a stern look, daring the girl to try and lie to her.

Beca did a double-take. "Something… going on… _between_ us." She drew out, trying to figure out what on Earth the girl was talking about. "Wait, do you mean romantically?!" She asked, shocked by the question that came out of nowhere.

Aubrey nodded, with pursed lips.

Beca couldn't help but let out a laugh at the preposterous idea. "No! Why would you even _think_ that?!"

Aubrey shrugged her shoulders. "Ask Chloe. You guys really need to talk. I knew you weren't interested in anyone else. You're too busy fawning over Chloe." Aubrey definitely had not missed Beca's affection for her best friend, though it wasn't always that obvious to everyone. Beca blushed, embarrassed to have been caught so easily it seemed.

"Well it's not that simple." Beca countered, narrowing her own eyes.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

Beca sighed, unwilling to divulge any information to the girl in front of her. "You wouldn't understand."

"Whatever. You need to work your shit out and apologize to Chloe. She was in tears today because of you. And so help me god if you don't fix that, I will make sure you regret it." She was pleased to note the obvious look of hurt that crossed Beca's face as she spoke about the girl hurting Chloe. That meant she was getting through to her.

"Yeah, I was planning to. I just don't know what to say to her." Beca admitted.

Aubrey rolled her eyes again and huffed loudly. "Oh my aca god you both are impossible! Just talk to her. Apologize. Tell her the truth. She likes you, and you clearly like her too. I can't believe I'm saying this and helping you, but remember I'm doing this all for Chloe. Don't screw it up. And don't give me a reason to pitch-slap you." Aubrey narrowed her eyes as she said this, hoping to show Beca how serious she was about this.

Beca responded with a mock salute, and a nod of the head. Maybe for once she would follow the blonde's advice.

Aubrey turned around, apparently satisfied with their conversation, and ready to leave.

"Uhh, Aubrey?" She called just before the blonde made it to the door.

Aubrey turned around, looking expectantly at Beca. "What?"

"Do you think I should give her some space now, or …?" She trailed off, hoping the girl would understand what she was asking.

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "No, you idiot. Get your ass over there and apologize. Chloe doesn't need space! She needs _you_ there."

Beca nodded, standing up to follow her downstairs. "Right, yeah." But as she did so, the brunette didn't realise she was absent-mindedly pulling the hot water bottle out from under her shirt, where it had been sitting on her stomach, and placing it back on the bed. Beca was too caught up in her mind as she thought about what she would say to Chloe. But Aubrey certainly noticed the action. And the look of exhaustion that washed over the girl when she stood up.

But at this stage, the blonde had nothing more than suspicion to go on. Though, as the two made their way to the stairs, Beca stopping off at the bathroom for a moment, Aubrey got to thinking about Chloe's earlier words. Now that she had a second to think about it, the girl started joining the pieces together, that she didn't realise were there until now. The result didn't look too good, but she wasn't sure what exactly it meant.

Finding Jesse downstairs waiting, the girl snapped back out of her deep thinking.

"Hey Aubs. You didn't kill her did you?" Jesse asked lightly, looking at the stairs to see if Beca was behind her.

Aubrey moved towards him to wrap her arms around his waist, receiving an embrace back. "No you goof. She went to the bathroom. I just slapped some common sense into her. Not literally though." She added, seeing the look on his face.

The two were interrupted when the front door opened, to reveal Mr Mitchell and his wife, arriving home from their outing.

He looked up, surprised to see two people in his house, and neither one of them being his daughter.

"Hi Mr and Mrs Mitchell." Jesse greeted the two.

Sheila smiled warmly, "Hi Jesse."

"Oh hi there Jesse. Is Beca here? I ran into Stacie earlier when I dropped by the university to pick up some papers, and she mentioned that Beca wasn't feeling too well this morning. She wasn't saying much though. Has Beca been to see Dr Griffin recently?" He frowned, a little concerned for his daughter.

Jesse's eyes were widening as the man spoke, in panic as his girlfriend was listening to the entire conversation happening. Aubrey turned to look at him, her head tilted back questioningly.

"Dad!" Everyone turned to look at the stairway, where Beca was standing at the bottom, in shock. She shot off a meaningful look to Jesse, who understood immediately, and began leading Aubrey outside, to give the father and daughter some privacy.

"We'll be outside." He figured the DJ would be needing a ride back to the Bellas' House soon, so they couldn't leave just yet. Aubrey had driven her car to the house, but Jesse had caught the bus, so he was hoping she would be able to drive both him and Beca back.

Back inside, Beca was telling her dad off for talking about what he did in front of someone other than Jesse. The man still didn't quite understand what it meant to be low-key about the whole situation.

"Sorry Bec. I didn't realise Aubrey still doesn't know about it." He apologized genuinely. "Are you feeling okay? What happened this morning?"

Beca contemplated telling her father that it was nothing, so she could get going quicker, but decided against it, instead going for a rushed version of the truth.

"Look, I passed out this morning, and Jesse took me to the hospital, but they gave me some fluids and let me go. You don't need to worry about it. Everything is fine now, I promise. If you want, I can explain later. But right now I _really_ have to go, so I'll see you around." She gave a small smile to the two as she urgently made her way to the door. "Bye dad, bye Sheila."

"Oh, okay then. We will talk later. Bye Bec. Take care of yourself."

"Yes, dad." Beca responded, rolling her eyes lightly.

"It was nice to see you Beca."

* * *

Beca met the couple out by the car. "Any chance you are going past campus?" She asked Aubrey.

Aubrey pretended to think it over. "Well I suppose it will get you to have that talk with Chloe sooner, so yeah."

They all got into the car, and were silent throughout the drive back, each person deep in thought from such an eventful day.

At one point, Aubrey came out of nowhere with an "Oh my god." Her whole face took on an expression of almost disbelief, as though she had just realised something.

Both Jesse and Beca looked at her expectantly, wondering what it was that had her suddenly exclaiming this. The blonde realised this, and gave a believable reason for her outburst. "Oh, I just realised I have a paper due on Thursday."

"Oh you have plenty of time to work on it Aubs. You shouldn't worry so much." Jesse reassured.

"I suppose you're right. I just want to have enough time to go over it properly before I hand it in."

And then the conversation fell once more into silence, until Aubrey pulled up in front of the Bellas' House. Beca got out, saying her goodbyes, without getting a chance to talk to Jesse alone. They would talk about it another time.

"Thanks for the lift Aubrey. I'll see you tomorrow at rehearsals. See you 'round Jesse."

As soon as she pushed the car door shut, Aubrey pulled out and began the drive back to her place, so the couple could catch up some more. But before Jesse knew it, the words were out of her mouth.

"Jesse, since when has Beca had Crohn's disease?"


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Hey! Long time no see. My apologies, I have been on holiday for a week, and then I got sick, so I haven't had much time to write lately.**

 **Thanks for your patience, and as always, I really appreciate all your reviews and thank you for reading :)**

 **Shout out to iamacrepe for being my awesome unofficial beta!**

 **Shout out also to Emily, I hope an update makes you feel a little better today :)**

 **And can I just say, 200 followers? say WHAT?! You guys are aca-amazing. I hope you all like long stories, I get the feeling this one won't be finishing for a while yet.**

 **And of course, I hope you enjoy! :D**

* * *

When Beca made it through the front door of the house, she found the place was alive with excited girls, all very happy to see each other. She had quickly and briefly greeted each one of them, as she made her way to the stairway, desperate to see Chloe and set things right with her. But before she could start up the second set of stairs to their bedroom, the DJ came across Stacie in the hallway, and knew she had to stop and talk to her.

Stacie smiled in greeting, glad to see that Beca appeared okay. She had been a little concerned when she found out that the girl had up and left the house when she should have been resting. But she figured the short brunette wasn't stupid enough to risk her health with overdoing it, so she trusted that Beca would be resting up somewhere.

"Hey." Beca initiated the conversation, smiling awkwardly as she prepared herself to apologize.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Stacie asked quietly.

Out of habit, Beca automatically looked around, checking that they were alone in the hallway before responding.

"Well, hibernating for a few months is looking pretty good right now." She smirked, but Stacie could see the exhaustion hiding in her features, in the way her eyes clouded over, struggling to concentrate, and the tell-tale bags under her eyes, showing through the DJ's make-up.

"Yeah, you probably need a long sleep to recover a bit. I'll try and keep the noise under control with the party animals downstairs. Are you going to bed now?"

Beca nodded, agreeing that she needed a sleep, before replying in the negative to the question Stacie asked.

"Not just yet. I have a massive apology to make. Well, two actually."

Stacie frowned, unaware of the fight that had taken place moments after she had left the house earlier on.

Seeing the confusion, Beca clarified herself. "I kind of snapped majorly at Chloe after you left."

"Oh." Chloe hadn't mentioned that when Stacie returned earlier...

"Yeah," Beca looked away. "So a certain conversation that I have been avoiding may be happening sooner rather than later. Which brings me back to my second apology." She looked back up, facing Stacie properly. "I am really sorry for how I responded to you earlier, I wasn't in the right mind, and I kind of went all out on you with every reason I don't want people to know. I was kind of a bitch." She admitted.

Stacie softened upon hearing this. "Aw no Beca. You have no need to apologize to me. I was out of line, trying to convince you to change your mind. And at a really bad time too. You must have been exhausted, and then I shoved all that at you. I'm sorry."

"Well how about we call it even then?" Beca suggested, still eager to make the last of the journey up to her bedroom to see Chloe.

Stacie nodded, "Sure."

But before she turned around, Beca decided she had to admit to something first.

"But you weren't totally wrong earlier, Stacie. It's given me a lot to think about."

* * *

Beca arrived at the top of the stairs, and paused awkwardly, seeing Chloe sitting on her bed, listening to music on her iPod.

Upon seeing the brunette enter the room, Chloe had sat up properly and pulled out her earphones, ready to talk. She had gone downstairs to greet and catch up with the other girls when they are returned not too long ago, but had then resumed her post in their bedroom, awaiting the DJ's return so they could hopefully have a proper conversation.

"Um, hey." Beca started.

"Hey." An awkward silence settled between the two, as both girls tried to figure out what to say.

"I owe you an apology Chloe." Beca managed to get out, as she made her way to sit on her own bed, across from the redhead.

Chloe remained silent, waiting for the brunette to continue.

"Look, I was massive dick to you earlier. And I am _so_ sorry about that. It has been a long day, and I wasn't thinking properly, I just snapped instead. But that's no excuse. You didn't deserve that."

Chloe gave a small smile, as always, trying to reassure Beca.

"It's okay. I understand that. And you weren't a massive dick. Just a normal sized one." Both girls chuckled at that, glad to make light of the situation.

"Sorry if I interrupted something between you and Stacie when I came down." Chloe looked to the side, hoping that her suspicion was wrong; hoping that Beca would prove it wrong. And the DJ was all too happy to oblige.

"No, you weren't interrupting anything." She reassured the older girl.

"I wasn't?" Chloe appeared unsure.

Beca shook her head definitively. "Not at all. There is nothing going on between me and Stacie." Beca thought back to Aubrey's words, deciding that it would be best to clear that up.

"Oh." The redhead's shoulders relaxed back a bit as she felt the relief wash over her at this statement.

Beca noticed this change in the girl, and it sparked up a feeling she didn't want to admit to herself: hope. Because then she was reminding herself of the complicated situation between the two of them.

Chloe's expression then turned sombre. "Look, Beca. I know you've apologized for earlier, and I really do forgive you for that, but..."

"But I have a hell of a lot of explaining to do." Beca pursed her lips as she nodded slowly, finally admitting to this.

Chloe nodded. "Yeah. You do." Then she softened. "But you kind of look like you might pass out at any second," she half-joked, noting the brunette's exhaustion. Beca looked away uncomfortably at those words. _No, that already happened this morning._

The DJ inhaled, taking a deep breath before she began.

"Okay, so, it's pretty clear that there's something I haven't been telling you. And I do want to be honest with you, and explain it all. But," she hesitated. "I just can't do that right this second, not today."

"Oh." Chloe's expression fell into one of disappointment, sad that Beca didn't want to tell her now.

Beca immediately felt the guilt wash over her at causing this face.

"I've just been thinking about it, and I'm not good at this kind of thing; at being so open with people. So I think I need some time to sort it out in my head and adjust to things before I tell you. You deserve a proper explanation that makes sense, and I don't think I can give that right now. My mind is all messed up at the moment." _And the thing I've been hiding from you is part of the reason behind my mind being fuzzy._

She looked hesitantly at the redhead, unsure of what her reaction would be.

Chloe was sitting there quietly contemplating the brunette's words.

"Chlo?"

"Okay."

Beca raised her eyebrows. "Okay, as in...?"

"Okay, as in that's okay. If you want time to arrange your thoughts, I'm okay with that. Obviously I am worried about you, and that won't change, but I will let you have whatever time you need without me constantly pestering you." She elaborated, a sincere expression adorning her face. "Or, at least I'll try." The redhead added with a wink and a smile.

Beca was in shock at how much Chloe kept amazing her. The girl was one of a kind, being so patient and understanding, even though she had no clue what was going on.

"Thanks Chlo. You are amazing."

"Aww thanks Becs! You too." Chloe moved over to hug the brunette in reassurance. She knew it was probably best if she didn't push Beca too much, knowing how the girl would likely react. If probed too much, there was a big chance that the brunette would just shut down and that would get her nowhere with answers. Giving her time to figure things out was best, especially going by Beca's appearance right now: totally exhausted.

"You do look like you really need a long sleep and rest." She added.

In truth, she really wanted answers, but her concern for the DJ, as always, took precedence over her need for answers.

Beca nodded in agreement, her eyelids feeling heavy again, "Yeah I feel like it too. Sorry, I know you probably have a lot of questions."

Beca was immediately relieved at Chloe's understanding, but it didn't stop the guilt from resurfacing, as she would then be delaying the explanation further. She knew that they were definitely not finished with their conversation; Beca owed Chloe more than that. But the brunette also knew that now was not the right time to do that; she wasn't in the right frame of mind to go through such a lengthy conversation, so it would have to wait until she was ready.

Chloe shrugged. "It's cool. I can wait. But just know that you won't get out of it that easily, right?" Chloe raised an eyebrow, smirking as she spoke, jokingly.

Beca looked back up at her, a glint in her eyes. "Wouldn't dream of it!"

She turned around to pull out her pyjamas, more than ready for a good night's sleep, as Chloe spoke up again.

"Hey Becs. You forgot something."

The DJ turned to face her, a frown adorning her face. "Huh?" And she was met with a face full of red hair as her roommate wrapped her in a warm hug. Oh how she missed this. The brunette relaxed into the hug, wrapping her own arms around Chloe in response.

"It's good to have you back, Chlo."

After a long moment, both girls reluctantly pulled apart.

"It's good to be back." Chloe flashed a bright smile.

"And I promise we will have that proper talk."

"I know." The redhead reassured her. "Though, I need to know something first." It was spoken as a question, as the girl looked hopefully at her friend, crossing her fingers that she wouldn't shut down at the question.

Beca glanced up, suddenly feeling nervous. "Hmm?"

"I'm not asking for an explanation right now or anything, I just..." She wasn't quite sure how to say it.

"Go ahead Chlo, it's okay." Beca encouraged, softening at the redhead's uncertainty.

"Can you at least admit to me that maybe you aren't okay?" She pleaded softly.

"Oh." Beca was unprepared for this question.

At this reaction, Chloe felt the need to explain herself. "I know it seems kind of weird, but I feel like I need the answer. I just need to hear the truth from you."

Beca nodded, "No I understand. That's fair."

But then she looked away, hesitating, as she felt the build-up of anxiety that came with such a heavy admission. When you've spent so long pretending everything is fine, admitting the opposite is a difficult task. Eventually she spoke up to respond.

"You're right. I'm not 100% okay." Beca too, spoke more quiet this time, as though she was scared of the words coming out of her mouth.

And Chloe flung herself at the girl again, this time hugging her in comfort, for whatever it was that was going on with her.

After a moment, Chloe pulled back, but still held onto Beca's arms, unwilling to let her go.

"Thank you for being honest with me."

Beca gave a small smile in return. "No problem."

"And thank you for coming back tonight to talk. I'm glad you did."

Beca shrugged, "Well I didn't have much of a choice." At Chloe's raised eyebrow, she elaborated. "Your hound came and attacked me earlier."

"Oh, Aubrey?"

Beca nodded. "The one and only."

'That sneaky girl! She told me she was going off to study. I hope she didn't scare you too much?" The redhead added with a smirk.

"Hah, no. She gave me an odd kind of pep talk. It was weird. But – and don't tell her I said this – she did push me onto the right track to getting here and talking with you. I wasn't sure what I was going to do." Beca spoke, knowing honesty was the way to go.

Chloe shook her head. "Maybe, but I know you. And deep down you care too much to leave things rocky between us. You would've made it here eventually. You wouldn't have let it sit like that overnight."

Beca mulled this over, hoping it was true, and knowing that she did indeed care a lot about their relationship. Chloe seemed to have her all figured out. For the most part.

"You know, I _really_ care about you Beca." Chloe spoke with all the sincerity she had, sending Beca's heart into a flutter. Somehow, the DJ managed to produce words in response.

"And I really care about you too, Chlo. You mean a lot to me. That's why I don't want to screw this up." She admitted.

Before she knew what was happening, Chloe was leaning forward, her eyes locked onto Beca's lips. She moved slowly, as though she knew Beca had the potential to bolt at any moment (and let's be real, that was definitely a possibility). But Beca remained frozen, not allowing herself to move, as Chloe initiated the kiss. Though it wasn't long before Beca was responding, the two equally as eager for this moment. Their lips came together as though magnetised by each other, and they moved in sync with one another.

When they finally pulled apart, Chloe spoke up, smiling. "We don't have to talk about this now, I just really needed to do that." _And I am so glad I did._

Beca just nodded absently, unable to form words in that moment.

The ginger then turned around, moving towards the stairs.

"Oh and Beca," the brunette's eyes met hers as she turned to face the girl once again.

"You won't screw it up." She winked at Beca, who stood there, stunned into silence.

"Night Beca." And then she was gone, leaving the brunette to get ready for bed in private.

And that's exactly what the DJ began to do (after taking a moment to snap out of her shock-induced state), her thoughts running a million miles an hour through her exhausted mind. _What just happened? Did Chloe just kiss me?_

She quickly took her pills after coming out of the bathroom, and climbed into bed, knowing that Chloe would be up later on, when she herself was hopefully fast asleep. Eventually the brunette fell asleep, amidst all the confusion now settled in her mind. With everything that was going on, Beca was having conflicted feelings about the kiss. Perhaps now wasn't the best time to throw it into the mix with everything else.

When the ginger made her way back up the stairs quietly, an hour later, she found Beca fast asleep, unsurprisingly. She looked peaceful, as though nothing and no one could disturb her from her sleep (no matter how hard they tried).

Chloe grimaced when she realised how exhausted the girl must have been. And thinking of Beca's admission earlier, the redhead was now feeling worried about her friend. Chloe hated the idea that Beca was not okay; that Beca was hurting, and she hadn't known to be able to comfort her. She was definitely looking forward to finishing that conversation. But for now she just had to get through a Bellas rehearsal in the morning, and focus on other things whilst she waited for Beca to sort herself out. Then they would talk. Honestly, out in the open, about 'them', and about whatever secrets Beca was hiding.

Remembering that she was supposed to let Aubrey know how their talk went, the redhead pulled out her phone and sent a text to the blonde.

 _Chloe: Hey Bree :) I talked with Beca, and she apologized. We're going to have a proper talk later on, because she was really worn out tonight. But I did kiss her before she went to bed! :D_

Almost instantly, her phone lit up with a reply.

 _Aubrey: About time! See you tomorrow Chloe. X_

 _Chloe: Night Bree :) x_

Minutes later, Chloe too was fast asleep in bed.

* * *

 **A/N: Lemme know what you think! :)**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: So funny story, I've been on break from uni, and with all my free time I've had zero inspiration to write. And here we are, first day back at uni and I'm motivated to write. Instead of studying... Oh the wonders of procrastination.**

 **So I hope you're all still sticking with me, I know I've been a little slack with updating lately, but I'm hoping to improve on that now.**

 **Anyway, a massive thanks to iamacrepe! And also to everyone for reading and reviewing!**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter :D**

* * *

Beca sat up groggily in bed, yawning as she reached for her phone to check the time. _10:20 am._ _1 New Message._

"Shit!" Rehearsals began at 11. She rubbed her eyes, trying to focus as she stood up, needing to get ready ASAP. And then it all came crashing down on her, as the DJ recalled all of the previous day's events. _Oh wow. This is going to be an interesting day._ Then remembering her phone, Beca checked the new message she had received.

 _Jesse: Hey Beca. Call me ASAP. We need to talk about something._

Well that sounded ominous.

"Hey!" A chirpy voice alerted the brunette to Chloe standing at the top of the stairs.

"You're up. I was just coming to wake you."

Beca yawned again, as she greeted the redhead.

"Hi. Why didn't you get me up earlier? We have rehearsals in 40 minutes."

Chloe tilted her head in what appeared to be an affectionate way. "You looked like you needed the sleep. You didn't even move one bit during the night, you were out cold."

"Oh, thanks. I guess I did need the sleep." Beca acknowledged the obvious, appreciating that Chloe had let her sleep in.

"And you have just enough time to get ready now and be on time." The redhead grinned. "I'll see you downstairs."

"Indeed you will." Was Beca's reply.

Neither girl was willing to initiate a talk about the kiss that happened the previous night, so soon, and so they each decided to go along as if everything was normal for the time being. There would be an opportunity for that conversation in due time, but not when they had a rehearsal to get to.

Once she was alone, the DJ picked her phone back up and dialled Jesse's number, thinking it must be important if he wanted to talk to her 'ASAP'. He picked up on the second ring.

 _"_ _Beca?"_

 _"_ _Good morning to you too Jesse."_ Beca joked sarcastically _._

 _"_ _Sorry. How are you feeling this morning?"_

 _"_ _A lot better after a long sleep."_ She admitted.

 _"_ _That's good to hear. But don't push yourself too hard at rehearsals today."_

Beca rolled her eyes, hoping it was obvious enough for Jesse to hear it happening through the phone.

 _"_ _Yes mom. Is that what you were so eager to tell me?"_ That snapped the boy back on track.

 _"_ _Oh. No, actually. Don't freak out, but Aubrey knows. She figured it out."_

Beca's eyes went wide. _"She knows that I have…?"_

 _"_ _That you have Crohn's, yes. I swear I didn't tell her."_

 _"_ _Well how in the hell did she figure it out?!"_

 _"_ _It turns out she grew up with a cousin who has Crohn's. But it wasn't until yesterday that she pieced it all together."_

 _"_ _Oh crap."_ Beca rubbed her head. This made her day a little more complicated.

 _"_ _I haven't told Chloe yet. I'm still figuring out what I'm going to say. She can't go and tell her Jesse."_

 _"_ _Woah, hold up there. Aubrey won't tell Chloe, you don't need to worry about that. She promised me."_

That put Beca a little more at ease. Just a little though, because Aubrey was still _Chloe's_ best friend, and she owed nothing to Beca.

 _"_ _Right. Okay, well thanks for the heads up, I guess."_

 _"_ _No problem."_

Then as an afterthought, Beca added, _"You know, at this rate, I won't need to tell Chloe. She will figure it out all by herself. Everyone else seems to be doing it."_

Her tone was dumbfounded after hearing Jesse's news, but full of sarcasm as always.

Jesse laughed lightly on the other end of the line. _"Yeah, well I'll let you get ready now. See you later Beca."_

 _"_ _Bye Jesse."_

* * *

By 1pm that day, Aubrey was calling an end to Bellas rehearsals, much to the surprise of everyone there: rehearsals was scheduled to go for 3 hours, not 2.

But after a warm-up with cardio and a handful of run-throughs that the blonde was finding difficult to fault, she announced the early hour to the girls, taking charge for the moment. Well, most of the girls' performances were difficult to fault. Beca and Chloe on the other hand, were both out of it, lost in their own minds it seemed. So it seemed pointless to continue on with practice. This turned out in favour of Beca, allowing her to take care of her body without pushing it too much.

As all the girls made a beeline to their bags to grab a drink and pack up, eager to head home, Chloe picked up her water bottle and instead made a beeline toward her best friend.

"What was that about Aubrey?" We still had another hour to go." She questioned.

They both looked up when they heard music suddenly start playing. As all of the other Bellas ambled out the doors, Beca was rummaging through her bag, looking for the source of the music, as she waited by the piano for Chloe.

Chloe smiled as she realised what Beca's ringtone was: a mix of 2 songs the ginger had mentioned she really liked during their texting marathons over the break.

As Beca finally pulled out her phone and answered it quietly, heading just outside the doors for some privacy, the two older girls resumed their conversation, temporarily leaving their curiosity about the call behind.

"Okay for starters, everyone clearly kept up with their practice over the break. They have this performance almost nailed. As much as I hate to admit this, they don't need the extra hour of rehearsals today. Second, and more importantly, you and Beca over there," she nodded her head towards where Beca was standing awkwardly off to the side of the auditorium entrance, nodding her head as she listened to her caller talk. " – have been distracted all morning! You two are of no use to the Bellas right now. Neither one of you was very focussed on what was going on here."

Chloe followed Aubrey's gaze to Beca, and she looked away guiltily.

"Oh, right."

"Yeah. You need to have that chat."

Chloe frowned. "We already did kind of. Last night."

"Well apparently that wasn't enough." The blonde reasoned.

The redhead, thinking of the yet-to-be-discussed kiss, eventually nodded. "Right."

"I'll see you later Chloe."

"See you later Bree." The redhead bid her friend goodbye, before going over to pack up her bag.

Taking advantage of this moment of preoccupation for her best friend, Aubrey approached Beca on her way out the doors. Despite the fact that Aubrey was aware of Beca's talk with Jesse that morning, the DJ had been acting awkward around the blonde, as if she was scared that at any moment Aubrey would shout out her secret to the auditorium. _It might be fun to torment her, just a little…_

So she went and stood there, staring at Beca with narrowed eyes as they both waited for Chloe. Beca promptly finished her phone call and met the blonde's eyes, uncomfortable with the stare that was going on.

Aubrey eventually spoke up. "Chloe told me about the kiss. Don't hurt her." Her tone was one of warning.

Beca nodded solemnly. "I'm trying not to."

And then the blonde was gone, and Chloe was approaching Beca, a curious look on her face.

"What was that about?" She frowned.

Beca too furrowed her eyebrows, puzzled at the interaction that had just happened. "I have no idea. It kind of felt like the 'best friend talk'."

"Naww, that's Aubrey for you." Chloe giggled. "Sorry about that."

Beca waved it off in dismissal. "It's cool."

"So what's up?"

"Erm, well we should probably talk about…" She trailed off, hoping Chloe would get where she was heading.

This prompted another smile to creep up on Chloe's face. "Oh yeah, the kiss."

Beca nodded. "Right. I just have to clarify something. It happened, yeah? Like, I wasn't dreaming or anything? I was pretty tired last night, so I mean, who knows." She rambled on, the nerves getting to the DJ.

Chloe giggled, "You're so cute when you're nervous Becs."

The brunette's eyes narrowed in a fake glare as her cheeks turned an unmistakable red. "Shut up."

Chloe laughed out loud at this. "No you weren't dreaming."

Beca nodded, a little relieved at this confirmation. "Okay cool. So uh, I guess we've established that I like you," she began, making Chloe's smile grow, as she continued along the same line.

"And that _I_ like _you_." The ginger emphasised her words by taking hold of Beca's hand in her own, making the brunette blush further.

"Right. So I just have to ask something?"

"Sure Becs."

"Can we maybe hold off on doing anything major right now, while I'm still figuring my shit out? I just want our relationship – if that's what you want with me, a relationship?" She paused, uncertainty overcoming the girl once again, as Chloe nodded in confirmation.

"Okay, well I want to be completely honest with you if we get into a relationship, and I can't do that if I haven't told you everything that's been going on."

Chloe nodded in understanding. "I totally understand. This can wait."

Beca frowned. "Why are you so okay with all of this? Don't get me wrong, I'm eternally grateful for your patience. I just feel like I don't deserve it."

"Aww Beca. Don't think like that. Waiting a little while for you to be ready sure beats a flat-out rejection. You're worth the wait Becs." The redhead gave a wink, prompting a trademark smirk from the younger girl.

"And you are so cliché Chlo." She shook her head jokingly.

"Yeah yeah. But for now can I still do this?" Chloe held up their still-interlocked hands in question.

"Yeah that's okay." Beca smiled.

"Good. Now do you want to come have lunch with me? You look like you need a pick-me-up."

Beca nodded, glad that they were back to normal and able to hang out together without the awareness of her secret making a change in Chloe's behaviour towards her.

"Sounds like a plan. But I have to drop by the pharmacy first and pick something up, you coming?" She offered.

Happily surprised that Beca seemed to be letting her in on something, even as trivial as this, Chloe accepted.

After receiving that phone call moments before, the DJ had found out from Dr Griffin that her blood test results showed she was not severely anaemic. This was good news, but she was still in need of iron supplements for the time being, which meant a trip to the pharmacy. And she might as well get it over and done with now, seeing as the campus pharmacy was on the way to the café they usually ate at.

When they arrived and entered the store, Chloe spoke up. "So what are we looking for?"

"Iron tablets." Beca replied as she strolled down the first aisle, scanning the shelves. She was a little concerned of how Chloe would respond to this, but the redhead did not seem phased at all.

"Right. So are you planning on becoming the new Iron Man or…?" She asked with a smirk.

Beca rolled her eyes good-naturedly as they moved to the next aisle. "Yup. You got me, I'm Iron Woman. Ah here we go." She reached the shelf full of iron supplements and grabbed a box, reading the back of it for information.

"Is that it?"

"Yep. Now let's get out of here."

Beca went up to the register and paid for the tablets, as Chloe followed quietly, mulling over what it could be that was causing Beca to need iron supplements.

* * *

Sitting down in a booth, Beca with a fruit smoothie and Chloe with a burger and fries and coffee, Beca frowned suddenly, a thought popping into her head.

"Wait, so what are we supposed to tell everyone, about you know, _us_?" She raised her fingers in quotation marks.

Chloe looked up from her burger. "What do you want to tell people?"

Beca raised an eyebrow. "What do _you_ want to tell people?"

Chloe shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we wait until everything is less complicated before we say anything?"

"Yeah that's probably best. It'll be easier to explain then." _If she still likes me after she finds out._

Noting Beca's sudden silence and sombre expression, the older girl frowned.

"Is everything okay? You went quiet on me there."

"Oh yeah, I was just thinking." The DJ responded, shaking the thought from her head.

"So I guess we'll have to keep the hand-holding to a minimum in public for the time being." Chloe returned to their topic of discussion.

Beca nodded. "Guess so."

As much as they were both happy to do the waiting thing, it was going to be interesting to see how they handled themselves during this time, seeing as they were now both aware of the other's feelings.

Beca took a sip of her smoothie, finishing the last bit of it before placing the cup back on the table. "So you ready to get going?" She nodded her head to Chloe's now-empty plate.

The redhead nodded. "Sure."

The girls made their way home, chatting about the upcoming competition and their soon-to-be busy week ahead, both glad to be back in each other's company, as it should be. However, as Beca's smoothie settled in her stomach, she was once again reminded of her situation, when she felt some familiar pains. She had chosen a smoothie because she thought it would be easier for her system to deal with, and she needed to eat/drink something after their rehearsal, but clearly that did not mean her system wouldn't react at all.

Fortunately, the two were nearly home when this came about.

Unfortunately, it did not escape Chloe's notice that Beca's hands automatically came to rest on her stomach, in an attempt to stifle the pain, on top of the slight frown that appeared on her face.

The redhead had to remind herself that she needed to give the brunette some space and not pepper her with questions, as the girl excused herself to retreat upstairs once they were inside.

But that didn't stop her from worrying.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Okay, so finally another chapter, right? I absolutely agree with Jules in Neverland – the updates are not often enough! Life has been hectic lately, and when I haven't been studying, I've been sleeping (uni is exhausting), so it's been hard to find time to write. But I love writing, so I will try my best to write as often as I can and update as soon as I can :)**

 **As always, a massive thanks to iamacrepe, and also a special thank you to the awesome TacoBellForLife, Twin192 and captainfirefly!**

 **Thanks to everyone for reading/following/favouriting/reviewing, your reviews make my day :D**

 **Also, I got a Tumblr account recently, it is lagu-ini-hat-ma-vie-gerettet, and I am looking for more people to follow, so let me know your usernames, and I shall follow you :) And if it makes you happy, you can send me anonymous msgs bugging me to update sooner haha idk :) Warning though, I'm still getting familiar with the way it all works.**

 _To Shades of Virgo_ : I agree with you, Beca should hurry up and tell Chloe. I've had a specific plan for that since day 1, and trying to make the storyline flow up to there has been so freakin hard for some reason, haha. It is taking more chapters to get there than expected.

 _To Sally, the guest reviewer_ **:** I do get where you are coming from, though I feel like I should explain something a bit more. Crohn's disease is an 'invisible illness' (maybe you've heard of these?), which means people can't tell someone is sick just by looking at them from the outside. Yes, there is a possibility that the girls would maybe see some aspects of Beca's illness pop up here and there, but because it is also not a constant thing, and Beca only rooms with Chloe, and she's a private person anyway, it would be difficult for the others to see the aspects that do show on occasion. Aside from that, this is my first long/chaptered story, so it is not going to be perfect :)

 **Now that my massive AN is over, please enjoy this chapter! :)**

* * *

Next in store for the Bellas girls was a study night in the middle of the week. Or, a study night _of sorts_. It was more a combination-of-everything event which required all the girls' presence.

Aubrey stood in the stairway of the house early in the morning (too early to be shouting), calling all the girls down for a quick meeting.

"I want everyone back here this afternoon once you've finished your classes for the day, am I understood?"

A chorus of mumbles and 'yes's' followed.

"We've been focussing a lot on acapella, you also need to put some focus on your studies, so that's what this afternoon and tonight are for."

Chloe "And it will be fun because we're all here together!"

Beca shook her head as if she were ashamed of the redhead. "So cheesy." The response was a grin, the redhead in no denial about the accusation.

Aubrey continued, ignoring the Bechloe moment. "Stacie has kindly volunteered to assist anyone in need of help with their study or assignments."

"And," Chloe added. "We will be having a group dinner, so cancel any plans you may have, not that you should have any in the middle of the week anyway." (Amy: "You should have mentioned dinner to begin with. I'm in!")

"And of course we will be doing a few run-throughs of the set, in between studying."

"Ooh, what about a movie if we have time after study and rehearsals?" Stacie came in with a suggestion, to which all the girls' faces lit up.

"Yes!", "Sounds good", "I'm in", even Beca joined in with an "oh if I must".

But Aubrey had one condition: "As long as everything else is completed first, and it isn't too late. We all still have classes tomorrow, don't forget."

* * *

When Beca arrived home from her classes early that afternoon, she found Aubrey's car turning into the driveway, the blonde having finished with her own classes and what-not. Most of the other girls, Chloe included, had classes that finished in an hour or so, or later, which meant the two girls were on their own for now.

Beca waited as the Aubrey got out of her car, and they walked in to the house together.

"Hey."

"Hi Beca."

"So we have like an hour or so until everyone else starts returning." Beca started.

Aubrey nodded. 'Yeah, maybe we should figure out a plan of action to make sure everything goes smoothly."

Of course, this received a roll of the eyes. "There's not much to plan. We study, we rehearse in between, and at some point we all have dinner. Oh and someone cooks. There you go, plan made."

They made it into the lounge room, where the younger girl offloaded her bag and set it down.

The blonde narrowed her eyes at the brunette momentarily, before resolving not to fight with her on this one. It was a good enough plan, she supposed. Except they already knew that the 'someone' in charge of cooking was Jessica and Ashley – Chloe had taught them well over the last year or so.

She shrugged, instead deciding on another topic of conversation.

"Alright then, I guess we have time to discuss something else." She gave the DJ a meaningful look.

Beca gulped. "Hmm?"

"Look, you know that I know about your situation, right?"

Beca nodded slowly, unsure of what to make of this conversation.

"And you've been acting weird around me this week. Like you're scared of me." The blonde softened slightly. "You know I'm not going to tell Chloe, right? I may be a bitch, but I'm not the kind of person that goes around telling everybody's secrets."

"Well, thanks I guess."

"But you should know that Chloe is very worried about you. She knows you aren't well, but the fact that she doesn't know what it is, well that kind of sucks for her. And it also sucks that I know and I can't tell her what it is that's worrying her. What I'm saying is you might want to hurry up with telling her if you don't want to hurt her. There is a limit to even Chloe's patience."

When she finished speaking, the blonde could tell her words had gotten through to the brunette, who was sitting there deep in thought. Beca looked up, no disagreement visible on her features as she spoke up to respond. It seemed that this opinion was quite popular; it felt almost like déjà vu, after first having a similar talk with Stacie. Man she couldn't wait until the weekend.

"You're right. And I am going to tell her everything after semi's, I just wanted to get that out of the way first, seeing as we've been so busy with school and rehearsals this week."

Aubrey was shocked to hear those first words come out of Beca's mouth, but now was not the time to dwell on that. "I see, that's probably best. And Beca, we are all here for you. If you ever need anything."

Beca looked away uncomfortably. It would definitely take some getting used to, having more people know about her Crohn's.

"Yeah, thanks for that. It's actually very nice of you to say. I'm going to head upstairs now for a bit." She gestured towards the stairs as she stood up, relieved at having finished that conversation.

"Sure, I've got some study to do here."

Knowing that this night would turn out to be a very busy night/afternoon, Beca felt it would be a good idea to rest up beforehand, so she went and curled up on her bed for a short while, with her music playing through her headphones.

She was definitely glad that Aubrey kind of understood, and let her go, but it felt kind of weird to be able to escape so easily.

* * *

Soon enough, Beca found herself back downstairs sitting at the kitchen table, deep in discussion with Aubrey, and feeling more energetic and ready for the afternoon ahead. The two figured now was a good time to go over some aca-event plans, and they could fill Chloe in as soon as she returned. They decided on an idea that Chloe had come up with, and began to work on the finer details of the plan, still bickering every now and then over something so trivial, but in a good-natured way.

By the time all the other girls had returned home for the day, Beca had moved on to attempting some actual study, knowing that it was probably an important thing to do, even if it wasn't always fun. Fortunately she was taking some classes in music production, which meant the brunette was finding interest in some aspects of her homework.

So there she was sprawled out on the lounge room floor, books surrounding her, as she low-key eavesdropped on the conversation currently happening in the kitchen. You see, with such a big group of girls, they couldn't all study at the same table, so the Bellas were spread out around the first floor of the house, occasionally interacting with each other to ask for help or to distract each other. The DJ had stumbled upon a quiet space where Cynthia Rose and Flo were studying, neither one making a noise as they sat there deep in thought.

Over at the dining room table, Aubrey sat with Jessica and Ashley, assisting the two with an assignment for a class she had previously taken. Stacie had been floating between rooms all throughout the house, attempting to provide help to anyone who looked confused. Though currently she was in the kitchen, attempting to do some convincing.

Their system was working quite well. Usually, the house never stayed so study-oriented without the structure that Aubrey was trying to set here, and it was good to have everyone in the same place during such a busy week.

Back in the lounge room, Beca was vaguely aware of Fat Amy (very loudly) reciting out her essay as she wrote, in a room somewhere, but currently the DJ's focus was on the conversation in the kitchen. Can you guess why?

The person Stacie was trying to convince was Chloe. It turns out the redhead was not so interested in studying, and more interested in baking a cake. Because that's _totes_ logical.

"Come on Chloe, focus! You said you needed help with this essay, and now's your chance."

Stacie stood there over Chloe's literature books, while the older girl moved around the kitchen, rummaging through drawers and cupboards, trying to find all the ingredients she needed.

"You know Stace, I'm really not in the mood to write an essay. I'd much rather bake a cake! Don't worry, I'll get the essay done later on."

"You can easily bake a cake another day. But you can't just leave the essay 'til another day when it's due on Friday." The brunette retorted, a tone of seriousness settling in. They all wanted to make sure Chloe passed her classes this year, and right now, the redhead was making it an awful hard task.

Chloe turned around to face the med student, a pout on her face. "But an essay doesn't taste as good as a cake."

Stacie couldn't help the smile that crept up her face at that comment. She shook her head in amusement.

Beca in the other room let out a small snort, rolling her eyes at Chloe's humor.

Cynthia Rose glanced over at Beca, a small smile gracing her lips too. "I hope she makes a chocolate cake."

Unaware of the amused responses in the lounge room, Chloe continued fighting for her case. "How about this Stacie, if you let me bake this cake, I will make it your favourite flavour?"

Unfortunately no one got to hear the answer to the redhead's proposal, as Fat Amy decided now was the _perfect_ time to burst into song. Who knows what topic her essay was on, but somehow she managed to segue from writing an essay to belting out a song. Sia's _Elastic Heart,_ no less.

And you know what happens when you start singing in a house full of acapella nerds.

It was quite a good impromptu performance, especially as the girls had never sung that song together before. It had them all smiling widely as they shamelessly joined in, adding the different instruments to the song. Yes, even Beca was enjoying herself. The DJ had long since resigned herself to the fact that this would happen on occasion, and she might as well join in and enjoy it.

Of course, now that they had all warmed up their vocal chords, Aubrey decided it was time for a semi-finals set rehearsal.

Half an hour later, and having given up on her attempts to convince Chloe otherwise on the baking front, Stacie made her way over to Beca. The DJ was quietly looking over a book on Music Technology as CR and Flo had moved into a very animated discussion on their studies, all having returned to their previous positions from before the musical interruption.

"Hey Beca. How's it going over here?"

Beca pulled her focus from the intriguing book and looked up at the girl standing beside her. "It's going good. This shit is actually really interesting."

Stacie nodded as she sat down on the floor next to Beca. "Well I'm glad you don't need any help. Maths, science, anatomy, even literature I can do. Music production and engineering, not so much my forte." She laughed, and Beca joined in, glad to have a chat with her friend. Though they lived in the same house, the two girls had barely had a chance to talk since the weekend. It was a busy time, what with prep for semi's and school stuff. And sleeping of course.

Beca had texted Stacie when she found out she would be taking iron supplements, but since then they had not spoken about the ever-secret situation Beca was in.

Stacie lowered her voice, aware of the other girls scattered around the house. "How is the iron going? Do you feel any different?"

Beca shook her head in the negative. "Eh not really. My energy levels haven't really changed." She shrugged. "It'll happen eventually."

Stacie nodded. "Yeah, it will. Hang in there."

What Beca was neglecting to mention was the change in symptoms she had been having. No, she wasn't feeling majorly worse, but she was beginning to get a weird feeling about it. Something wasn't quite right. A weird sort of nausea had been hanging around her lately, as well as some stomach pains which were unexplainably different from the norm (if you could even call anything the 'norm'). And in true Beca Mitchell fashion, she was planning on waiting it out until her system settled itself out. No big deal.

"So." Stacie's tone was suggestive, as if it was obvious there was something more to be said.

Beca frowned. "So?"

"Is it just me or are our two captains _fiiinally_ on the same page?"

Beca tried playing it off as though she had no idea what Stacie was talking about.

"Come again?" She tried.

Stacie rolled her eyes knowingly. "Don't play dumb. I know there's something going on between you and Chloe. It's one of my superpowers."

"What? Your superpower is in nosing in other people's relationships?"

Stacie's eyes lit up. "Hah! You said 'relationship'!" She pointed at the girl as she spoke.

Beca tilted her head, eyes level with Stacie's. "You know that's not how I meant it."

"Whatever. Yes, it is my superpower. But that's beside the point. _Sooo_?" She tried again.

At this, the DJ suddenly turned her head, as though she was hearing something in another room.

"You know what? I think that's my laptop calling me. I have to go…" she trailed off, already on her feet and moving out the room towards the stairs.

The tall brunette was left standing there, a chuckle of amusement at the shorter girl's antics escaping her. "That's cool," she said to herself. "I'll get it out of you one day."

As she walked away, Beca instead found herself wandering towards where she knew a certain redhead was.

"Hey Chlo."

Chloe turned around at the noise, and smiled wider when she saw who it was. "Hey Becs!"

The DJ moved over to sit up on the kitchen bench next to where Chloe was mixing her cake batter.

"Doing some procrastinating I see." Beca spoke with raised eyebrows and a smirk.

Chloe shrugged unapologetically. "What can I say? Baking a cake holds more interest for me than reading ancient literature and writing an essay on it."

This earned her a chuckle. The brunette couldn't bring herself to scold the redhead for not studying. She would just try to help her with it later on.

Chloe spoke up again, changing the topic away from her lack of study. "So, have you been able to lift any cars up, or have you found yourself flying around anywhere yet Becs?"

The look that immediately graced Beca's face was priceless. She had no idea what the girl was on about.

Chloe was in a fit of giggles as soon as the brunette responded with a "Huh?" and no other words able to make their way out her mouth.

"Because… you've been taking… iron this week!" The redhead managed to get out in between the laughter.

One could almost see the light bulb light up inside Beca's head. "Ohhhh. What's so funny about that?" She questioned Chloe, smiling at the girl's laughter.

"Your face, Becs! It was hilarious. It was like you were looking at an alien."

This earned the older girl a signature fake-glare. "Well to answer your question: no. I haven't come across any inhuman strength or the ability to fly as of yet. Man that sucks."

* * *

Later on at the dinner table, Beca was struggling to put any more food down. She had eaten a little, but there was something stopping her from eating further. She would rather not have to deal with the nausea that she knew would follow within the hour, or the discomfort she had been having lately when eating. But she needed to eat something, so the DJ tried her best. Apparently not enough to avoid suspicion.

"Yo Beca, come on, eat some more! There's plenty left." Cynthia Rose started.

Fat Amy was quick to join in, never one to shy away from encouraging the eating of food. "Yeah, you've barely eaten anything tonight short stack. Don't starve yourself."

Flo was nodding seriously in agreement. "You never know when you'll be kidnapped and starved, so it's safer to eat as much as you can while you have food."

"Guys, don't you see what she's doing?" Chloe exclaimed, referring to Beca, who gave her a confused look, wondering where this was going.

"Beca is saving up for dessert! My chocolate cake is just too good to miss out on, so she's making sure she has space for it." The redhead shot a wink to the brunette, who smiled gratefully. This was unexpected, but nonetheless Beca was appreciative of Chloe saving her butt.

"Well you'll have to fight me for it!"

"Yeah I want in on dessert too!"

"Me too!"

In amidst the chaos of everyone fussing over getting their share of cake, the exchange of plates between Beca and Stacie went unnoticed, as the taller brunette received the DJ's share of cake instead.

Another round of rehearsals and a check up on study success later, and the girls were all piled into the lounge room, watching a movie. It was an interesting setup, trying to fit 11 girls into one room, and onto the limited number of couches that were occupying said room. But they managed to do it, by bringing in a couple of mattresses and planting them in front of the couches. It was messy, but it worked.

Somehow Flo, Stacie, Aubrey, Chloe _and_ Beca were all squeezed onto the 3 seater couch, but not without a round of groans and complaints from Beca in the beginning. But she supposed, if she did have to be squeezed between the arm of the couch and another person, it wasn't too unfortunate that it was Chloe she was squeezed with. The redhead's presence also made it a little more bearable having to sit through _The Choice,_ another Nicholas Sparks novel adaptation, and a total 'chick flick'. Not Beca's style, but when it came to majority vote situations, she never won. There was however, something keeping the DJ from up and leaving the room to do something more exciting.

Not long into the movie, Chloe's hand sneakily made its way over to slip itself into that of Beca's, and she gave a squeeze. The brunette was glad for the darkness in the room, not because it provided perfect cover for the two to hold hands, but because of the blush that immediately found its way onto her face, and the childish grin that showed itself without her control. Luckily for Beca, the redhead had her eyes still glued to the TV, so she wasn't given another opportunity to embarrass the younger girl when they were alone.

By the time the credits rolled around, Chloe found herself having to nudge the DJ to wake her up before the lights were turned back on. Gently, she slipped her right hand out of Beca's left, smiling at the fact that they stayed holding hands through the entire movie, even with Beca falling asleep, and reached in to poke her lightly on the cheek, wondering what the response would be.

The brunette's eyes shot open, and she sat up from her previous position of being curled up into the couch edge. "I'm awake!" she announced to the redhead, blinking heavily as her eyes regained focus of her surroundings.

Chloe narrowed her eyes at the girl playfully. "Are you sure you're not sleep talking?" She whispered, a sparkle in her eyes.

Beca pretended to think about this for a moment, playing along. "Either way, I think it's bed time." She decided.

There was a round of agreement as everyone got up and started getting ready for bed, minus Aubrey who promptly said her farewells and left to make the short drive home.

As Chloe and Beca climbed the stairs up to their room together, the redhead tilted her head for a moment, looking at the girl next to her. "Did you even watch any of the movie Becs?"

The brunette looked down, a guilty expression on her face. "I saw some of it. But it was just so boring! I couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to watch the rest of it."

"But it's a really good movie Beca! You have to see it."

Beca shook her head. "No way. The only way I'll sit and actually watch a movie is if it's something _good_. With action or something like that. Not some romantic chick flick shit. But even then I can't make any promises on not falling asleep. Movies are not my thing, you know that."

Chloe was determined. "Well one day we _will_ find a movie you like, and you will watch it all the way through."

They reached the top of the staircase and Beca moved towards her bed. "Yeah good luck with that."

* * *

Chloe came to a few hours later, confused as to why on earth she was awake. It was still dark outside, and she had a long while before she had to get up for classes. A moment later and she got her answer. There was a moaning coming from the other bed in the room, and not a good kind of moaning if that's what you're thinking.

From what she could tell, Beca seemed to be moaning and grumbling in her sleep, as she shuffled under her blankets uncomfortably. Chloe winced herself when she realised that Beca must have been in a lot of pain. And somehow the brunette was still asleep through the pain.

 _Oh god, what do I do?!_ The redhead thought to herself. She was supposed to be giving Beca some space to sort out whatever it was that was going on with her, and she might be overstepping if she goes and wakes the girl up. But it was not really an option for Chloe to just roll back over and go to sleep, pretending this never happened. She couldn't leave her best friend in pain and ignore it. But she also didn't want the brunette to have to know that _she_ knew about the pain. Beca probably wouldn't deal well with that.

Chloe sat there for a few moments more, torn between what she should do. And just as she was about to move over to try and wake the girl, Beca sat up in bed, suddenly wide awake and aware of the pain. Sensing eyes on her, the DJ immediately looked over to left, her eyes landing on the redhead staring at her.

"Hey," Chloe began softly.

"Uh, hey." Beca ran a hand through her hair as she attempted for a little composure. And then she remembered the pain radiating through her abdomen. She moved up to lean against the headboard of her bed, bringing her knees up to her chest, as if she were trying to protect her stomach by covering it up.

"Are you okay?" Chloe was clearly worried. She leaned over and switched on the lamp between their beds.

Beca looked away guiltily, grimacing slightly at the situation. "Yeah, I will be." She leaned over to rummage through her drawers, looking for and finding some pain relief medication.

"Sorry if I woke you up."

"Don't worry about it." The redhead dismissed the unimportant matter. Then thinking of an object she had seen lying around the room earlier in the week, the older girl came up with an idea. "Hey you have a hot water bottle around here somewhere, right? Do you want me to fill that up for you?" She offered.

Beca stopped what she was doing and glanced over at the redhead. "Actually that would be great, thank you."

"No problem, where is it?" Chloe gave a supportive smile.

Beca once again reached into her drawer and pulled out the black rubber object, handing it wordlessly to the older girl.

When she came back with the filled hot water bottle, Chloe was smiling in an amused way.

Beca frowned. "What?" She asked cautiously.

Passing the warm object off to the brunette, Chloe explained herself. "Of course you would have a black hot water bottle."

Settling back into bed with her hot water bottle sitting on her stomach, Beca gave an audible sigh of relief, not caring for the moment that Chloe was privy to the whole situation going on with her. She would deal with that later when there was time. And when it wasn't the middle of the night.

"Don't hate. I love this thing." She watched as Chloe got herself settled back in bed, before making eye contact with the girl.

"But seriously Chlo," she began.

"Hmm?" She looked up.

"Thank you." This was a thank you that meant more than just the hot water bottle, and both girls knew it. Beca was thanking Chloe for not making a big deal of it; for not forcing an explanation out of her. And for that she was eternally grateful.

Chloe gave a small smile. "Of course."

* * *

 **A/N #2: And for all of you who have been waiting patiently for Beca to tell Chloe, I think you're going to want to hang around for the next chapter ;)**

 **Stay awesome.**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Hippity Hoppity Happity Birthday to iamacrepe! An update just for you (and it's not 3 weeks late!) :)**

 **Here's hoping you all enjoy the chapter :D Please let me know what you think :)**

* * *

It wasn't long before the day of the semi-finals competition was upon the Bellas, and the atmosphere amongst them was buzzing. The competition was to be held at the University of Georgia, and so the girls would be making the 1 hour trip on the Bellas bus once again.

After a final rehearsal that day, which even Aubrey admitted to them 'crushing it' as Fat Amy had coined it, the girls piled excitedly onto the bus. They were all feeling quite confident in their set list and routine, and so there was little nervous energy floating around. Under Aubrey, Beca and Chloe's strict instruction, the girls were to rest their voices and save their energy, so that they were ready to go when it was time to perform later on. And so they found the trip to be rather peaceful, with a few of the girls playing music from their Ipods, or with earphones in. Lilly, being the eccentric person she is, was deep in thought apparently drawing up the plans for her time machine, if anyone listened closely enough. Luckily they didn't.

Beca sat in her usual seat with her headphones on, listening to some of her newer mixes as she watched the scenery pass by out the window. Just before they'd left Barden, the DJ had downed some pain killers, hoping to get rid of the discomfort in her abdomen before they arrived at their destination. Unfortunately, she was still waiting out these unusual symptoms. If anything, they'd gotten worse, instead of going away as she had hoped. But the girl refused to admit to this. She was adamant that the problem _would_ go away, and it would do so soon.

It wasn't long before she felt the seat next to her dip, as her favourite redhead moved over from chatting with Aubrey to sit with Beca. Knowing that the brunette would not fight her, she gently removed Beca's headphones and pulled the plug out from the girl's Ipod, replacing it with her own earplugs. Beca glanced over suspiciously, raising an eyebrow in question. Chloe merely ignored the questioning glance as she placed one earplug in Beca's ear, and the other in her own. Now they could both listen to Beca's mixes.

 _Of course_ , Beca thought. She smiled at the redhead, subtly shaking her head at the older girl's antics. Chloe grinned back, enjoying the music she was now hearing.

The pair sat like that for a while in comfortable silence, both thoroughly focussed on the music. Whilst the music was working somewhat as a distraction, Beca still found herself shuffling in discomfort, curling herself up in her seat so that her knees were up by her chest, in an attempt to stifle the pain. It wasn't much of a telling move for anyone who didn't know any better, just a girl trying to get comfortable. But for the girl sitting next to her, who _did_ – well sort of – know better, it was clear that something wasn't quite right.

"You're quiet today." Chloe decided to start off gently, instead of bombarding Beca with demanding questions.

Snapped out of her own world, Beca turned her head to face the redhead. "Yeah I guess. Just thinking."

Chloe hesitated, before asking what was really on her mind. She gestured to Beca's posture. "Can I ask…?"

Beca knew immediately what she was going to ask, but she didn't want to get into a big discussion over it. If they started talking about it, soon Stacie would be in on it, and before they knew it there would be a whole big fuss happening over her.

So instead she gave an apologetic expression as she shook her head subtly. "Later. I promise."

Chloe nodded her head, satisfied with the answer, but nevertheless still worried about the DJ. She was trying her best to trust Beca, and she had been waiting patiently, but seeing the girl she cared so much about in pain was not something she was happy with, obviously.

"Alright Bellas, listen up!" Suddenly Aubrey was standing up at the front of the bus, commanding all attention. They were almost at the competition venue, and they needed to go over the plan for when they arrived.

"So here's what's going to happen…"

* * *

A couple hours later, and the Bellas were backstage preparing to go on stage. There was one more group to go before it was their turn, and the nerves were settling in. In approximately 12 short minutes, they would be heading onstage to hopefully give the performance of their lives, and with any luck, advance to the ICCA finals.

The Treblemakers, having placed second to the Bellas at regionals (thus advancing them to semi's) were also backstage, awaiting their own turn, a few slots behind the girls. They still had plenty of time to prepare and warm up in their dressing room, but with Jesse and Benji in lead, they had come out to wish the girls good luck and watch their performance.

Aubrey was pacing back and forth nervously, stopping every now and then to take a deep breath and keep her vomit reflex under control. A few of the girls stood there watching the blonde, frowns on their faces.

"Take a chill pill Aubrey. We're going to crush it." Amy tried to calm her down.

"You had better!" She replied sharply. Clearly the blonde was way too invested in their success. Maybe that was a good thing, maybe not.

Chloe moved over to put an arm around her shoulder in support. "Don't worry Bree, we've got this. It will go perfectly as planned. Just you watch." She gave a big smile, excited for their performance.

Watching this exchange from her place in the circle the girls had gathered in, Beca felt her own nausea resurface. Not _a good time dude!_ Unfortunately her stomach wasn't in the habit of listening to her mind.

She had been feeling rather uncomfortable all day, with the pain residing in her stomach, and the nausea that accompanied it. Seeing that skipping breakfast that day hadn't helped in the slightest, and praying to the aca-gods that something else would, Beca decided that maybe eating something would improve things for her. And so when the girls were having their pre-performance energy-boosting snack earlier (yes, it's a thing), Beca joined in.

Apparently she was wrong.

This was reinforced now in the worst way as the DJ found herself experiencing those intense rolling waves of nausea and pain, which would not lead to anything good. With minutes to go before their performance, Beca bolted off in search of the nearest bathroom, fortunately finding one not far from their backstage gathering position.

Seeing the DJ suddenly up and leave the group circle, Chloe followed, hot on her heels. Knowing that the two girls could take care of whatever it was themselves, Aubrey held the rest of the Bellas back from following.

"Beca?" the redhead called once she stopped inside the bathroom the brunette had disappeared into.

Her answer came in the form of an awful retching sound coming from the first stall. Opening the unlocked door, Chloe grimaced at the sight before her. Beca was leaning over the toilet, hands wrapped tightly around her stomach as she emptied its contents into the toilet.

"Oh Beca." She spoke softly, concern evident in her voice as she reached over to place a soothing hand on her back. Luckily for her, Beca's hair was done up so that none of her hair was free flowing down, which was very handy in this situation.

When the brunette eventually stood back up, apparently finished with her puking, Chloe gave her a semi-stern look, still very worried about the girl.

Beca made her way over to the sinks to wash up, aware of the eyes following her.

"It's nothing major, I'm still okay to perform." She looked Chloe in the eyes, reassuring her, and it was the truth. Yes, she was feeling like crap, to be frank, but she was still feeling okay enough to sing. She would just try not to overdo it on the dancing.

"I actually feel a little better now." She admitted, feeling her previous nausea settle down a little.

Chloe tilted her head at the girl. "Are you sure?" She narrowed her eyes, double checking.

"Yes. I promise. Can you do me a favour?" Chloe nodded. "Forget about this for the time being, and I'll explain later. I know I've said it a million times, but I will answer all of your questions when we get home tonight. I just need you to focus on the performance right now and not be worried about me, okay?"

Chloe hesitated, before reluctantly nodding. "Okay. But only if _you_ promise _me_ that you won't go on stage if you don't feel up to it." She tried negotiating.

Beca nodded. "Deal. Now we need to get back out there now! Oh god. How do I look?" It suddenly occurred to the girl that she had just been sick, and she was due to go on stage in a matter of minutes.

Chloe did a quick once-over, checking the brunette's make-up and hair. "You look beautiful." She smiled.

Beca blushed. "That's not what I meant, Chlo."

Chloe giggled. "I know. But you look fine. You can't even tell that you tried to impersonate Aubrey."

Beca rolled her eyes. "Good. Now let's go."

Ignoring the questioning glances as they returned, and realistically having no time to respond to them, Beca and Chloe moved on immediately to giving their final pep-talk before their performance. Knowing their focus needed to be on the acapella, and not on their captains' previous whereabouts, the girls gathered closer, listening intently to Beca and Chloe.

"We can do this girls! We are going to give it everything we've got."

"Do it just like we practiced, and we will blow minds!"

All the girls joined in with a round of approving cheers.

Together they watched the group before them walk off the stage, as they heard the microphone guy announce very animatedly the "Barden Bellas of Barden University".

Walking on stage, Beca tried to ignore the pain that was resurfacing in her stomach. Apparently her relief from puking was to be short-lived. But she had other things to worry about, so the DJ pushed it as far to the back of her mind as she could. The girls took their places on stage, and the performance began. They had 12 minutes to perform the four songs that Beca had arranged perfectly into one big mix. Usually an ICCA acapella performance consisted of around three songs due to the limited time, however Beca, being the musical genius she is, had managed to combine the four songs they'd chosen in a mashup way that transitioned seamlessly through, without stopping. In Chloe's eyes, it was an amazing feat. But any attempts at complimenting her work had Beca awkwardly brushing it off. That did nothing to stop Chloe, however.

Unfortunately for Beca on this day, her aca-awesome mashup made for a very full-on routine. One that she struggled the whole way through.

In reality Beca shouldn't have been out there in her current condition, but she was too busy being in denial about it. She hadn't lied to Chloe; she really believed she would be okay to go out and perform, but she hadn't really expected her situation to turn out as it did. As she moved about on the stage, singing her parts perfectly, Beca's stomach pains kept intensifying, and she found herself wincing, as beads of sweat started to form on her forehead, not because of the dance routine, but because of the pain she was in.

Out in the audience, her dad was watching with a close eye, seeing the slight reservations in his daughter's movements, and the distant look in her eyes. A sign he had recently come to recognise as her pain.

Backstage, Jesse too was watching the performance, catching on to all the signs that told him Beca was _not_ okay.

Back on stage, the Bellas were killing it with their vocals and their whole routine. Everything was going as they had rehearsed, and they were in perfect time. Realising they were almost at the end of their set, Beca was mentally counting down the seconds until she could get out of there and hopefully find some relief from her pain. If she had to continue on like this much longer, she might pass out.

The performance finally finished with a bang, and the crowd went wild, cheering and applauding the girls, as they themselves cheered their way off stage, Beca following closely behind, but unable to move any faster in her state.

They all gave their microphones to the backstage crew, and the rest of the Bellas began the move back to their dressing room for a debriefing. Chloe turned around to hug Beca, the words "we did it" on the tip of her tongue, but she stopped immediately when she saw the girl. Beca had stopped walking as soon as she made it to the backstage area, and was now doubled over in agony. Her hands were once again wrapped tightly around her midline, as she waited for a moment of relief, but finding none.

"Beca?" Chloe ran over to her.

"Fuuuck!"

Kneeling down in front of the brunette, she put a hand on the girl's shoulder, trying to get her to look up.

"Beca, what's happening? What can I do?" She was getting frantic, seeing the small girl in so much pain.

Beca finally looked up, wincing. "Chlo I think I need to get to a hospital. It really hurts." She admitted. Clearly no pain relief medication she had would be enough to treat this intense pain.

Before they knew it, the girls were surrounded by Dr Mitchell, Jesse, Aubrey, and Stacie, whom Jesse had plucked from the group passing him on their way to the dressing room. Sound began to filter through the speakers as the next group began their set on stage.

Stacie put a reassuring hand on Beca's back. "Beca, I need you to take some deep breaths for me okay?" They carefully moved Beca over to a chair off to the side, as Stacie continued to guide the girl through breathing deeply. It wasn't going to do much for the pain, but she knew it could help Beca to calm down a little, so she could explain what was going on. And hopefully it would give the DJ even a tiny bit of relief.

"Okay, good. Now where does it hurt?" Beca sat back a little, feeling the slightest bit more in control, as she motioned to her abdomen, zeroing in on the one point where she was feeling the most pain: the top left.

"It's," she paused to take a breath. "It's kind of all over, but mostly here. It hurts like a bitch dude. I don't think this is normal."

Stacie stood up, nodding in understanding as Chloe stayed by Beca's side, holding her hand. "We need to get you to a hospital Beca."

Beca gave a half-assed snort. "No kidding." She spoke sarcastically.

If it wasn't clear from the way the girl was acting that she was in agony, it should have been evident in the ghostly pale tone her face had taken on. She bent over in frustration at her stomach, as her friends and father looked on, the worry increasing in their expressions.

"I'll get my car and bring it around to the side exit." Dr Mitchell suggested, catching Beca's nod of the head before he left.

"What's happening over here? Some secret meeting without us?!"

The group huddled around Beca turned to find the rest of the Bellas had returned when they realised their captains were indeed _not_ following behind them to the dressing room.

Seeing Beca in the middle of the group, Amy's expression changed. "Short stack? You okay?"

Beca gave a small shrug as she moved to stand up. "It's complicated. But I will be."

Sensing this would take up too much time, and they needed to get to the hospital quickly, Chloe spoke up as she supported Beca standing up. "Questions later, we gotta go. You girls stay here, no arguments!" She told the Bellas, knowing that they would want to come in support of Beca.

As the small group made their way over to the door where Dr Mitchell would be picking the ill girl up, the Bellas looked on worriedly. Beca was constantly reassuring everyone around her that she could walk on her own. The pain was bad, yes, but it wasn't bad enough that she couldn't move.

"I'm coming with you." Jesse piped up, concern for his best friend written all over his features.

But Beca was adamant. "No Jess." She grabbed onto her stomach again. "You stay here. You still have your performance to do."

"But – " He tried to protest.

Beca turned to Aubrey. "You make sure he stays and performs, got it?" The blonde nodded. "I'm not going to let you blame your semi-final loss on me being sick." She joked at the boy, who responded with a small smile.

Stacie pulled out her phone. "Beca, I'm going to call Dr Griffin and see what we need to do, okay?"

The DJ nodded. "Yeah, probably a good idea."

Chloe frowned. "Dr Griffin?" She asked in confusion.

Seeing no point in hiding anything now, Beca gave a direct response as they watched the tall brunette hold the phone up to her ear. "My GI doctor."

"Oh." That didn't clear much up.

Before Jesse and Aubrey turned around to head back, Chloe called to Aubrey at the last minute, thinking desperately of something to help ease her best friend's pain.

As Beca let off another round of cussing under her breath, Chloe spoke urgently.

"Do me a favour? Run back to the dressing room and grab the black hot water bottle from Beca's bag and fill it up. We will be over here." The blonde nodded, before sprinting off in the direction of the dressing rooms.

Hearing this, Beca smiled in a half-wince, half-smile as they kept moving towards the exit. "What would I do without you?"

Chloe shrugged. "I really don't know." She winked at the brunette. "How are you doing there?"

Beca closed her eyes in another wince. "Fan-fucking-tastic, thanks for asking."

Chloe grimaced. "Sorry. I wish I could do something to help."

As they stopped by the door, seeing a car approaching them, Beca turned to look at the redhead beside her, with as close to a meaningful expression as she could muster.

"You _are_ helping."

Minutes later, and they were in the car on the way to the nearest hospital. Luckily, it was only a 5 minute drive away.

Stacie had had no luck with reaching Dr Griffin, apparently she was in the middle of a procedure with a patient, so they would just have to see whatever doctor they were given at this hospital.

"As long as they can give me strong pain relief, I'll be happy with any doctor!" Beca offered from the backseat of the car, where she was leaning against Chloe in a half-sitting, half-laying down position. Thank goodness for the hot water bottle, which was held tightly against her stomach, and providing a little relief for the brunette. But unfortunately, it wasn't enough. She definitely needed something stronger. Beca was never one to admit so easily to being in pain; it took a lot for her to show that she was hurting, and that had everyone worried as to what was going on that would be causing such a severe reaction.

Feeling a supportive squeeze on the shoulder, Beca sat herself up properly, reading the expression on the redhead's face. It seemed to hold a mixture of confusion and concern, both of which were quite reasonable, considering the situation they were in, where Chloe was still in the dark about most details.

"Okay so this isn't going to make much sense, and clearly this is not the best time to explain it all, but here's the main point: I have Crohn's disease. It's a digestive disease, and right now I'm having some problems with it."

Beca grimaced at her stomach, before looking back to try and gauge Chloe's reaction. This was the moment she had been delaying for such a long time, and now that it was here, she didn't even have enough energy to be concerned about a negative reaction. Her body had kicked itself into survival mode, which meant no energy would be spent where it wasn't crucial.

Chloe sat there trying to come to terms with Beca's admission, an unreadable expression on her face.

* * *

:o


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: So um, it has been over 5 weeks since my last update. Sorry 'bout that...**

 **Thank you all for being patient, and a massive thank you to iamacrepe!**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter :D Please let me know what you think of it!**

* * *

 _Crohn's disease._ Hearing those words come out of Beca's mouth sounded unreal to Chloe. _Disease._

She had so many questions, popping up one after the other in her mind. But the redhead knew now was not the time to ask those questions. Beca needed support, and she needed to see a doctor and get treated. She didn't need to sit there for hours answering questions that wouldn't make her feel better.

Repeating the DJ's words in her head, Chloe started making connections in her mind. Digestive disease. Oh. _Oh_. Finally things were making sense. It would explain a lot of what had been going on with Beca lately.

Finally, Chloe managed to speak up, aware of Beca awaiting her response.

"Oh my god Beca. Are you okay?" She asked the DJ, before turning to scold herself for asking that question. "Well that was a stupid question, obviously not," she muttered to herself.

"But Crohn's disease, wow." The redhead tried the words on her tongue, feeling them out, and not liking how it felt. "That sounds serious, right?"

Chloe had not known anyone up until now to have the condition, thus she was a little confused at what it meant for the brunette she so dearly cared for.

Listening in to the conversation from the front seat, Stacie replied for the ill girl. "Yeah, it can be."

But Beca, still holding her arms around her stomach, gave her own interpretation. "Eh, that's debatable." She didn't like to think of it as a big deal. It wasn't serious, just something extra to deal with. She hated being dramatic about it.

"Says the girl on the way to hospital because of the agony it's causing her." Stacie countered.

 _Fair point._

"Speak of the devil!" Beca hunched over holding her stomach even tighter. This pain wasn't getting any better.

Seeing Beca in so much pain had Chloe worrying like crazy. She almost wanted to cry, especially because there seemed to be nothing she could do to ease the pain for her. She gently rubbed Beca's back, up and down in the hopes that it would soothe the brunette, even just a little bit.

Beca looked back up, making eye contact with Chloe once again, hoping to convey her appreciation through the pain. She was beyond grateful that the girl was with her and trying to help. Beca didn't want to think about what she would do without her favourite redhead there, supporting her. At this point, all of her badass dignity was out the window; Beca didn't care that she was showing pain or weakness, or that she needed comfort. She didn't have time to worry about that.

A few moments of quiet in the car – spent in agony or anxiety, depending on the occupant – later, and the four were walking in through the Emergency Department's doors. Well, three of them were walking. Beca was hobbling, being supported by Chloe on one side, and Stacie on the other as Dr Mitchell watched on in concern. Reaching the admissions desk, Stacie took charge, and started talking in an urgent tone with the nurse at the desk, giving her the important information on Beca's situation.

Apparently this was _really_ serious, because no later than a minute after their arrival, Beca was being taken in to one of the emergency bays, where the on-call doctor appeared almost immediately at her side.

"Hi Beca I'm Dr Hunt. I will be assessing you and hopefully finding a diagnosis for the cause of your pain."

Beca gave a small smile in response. "And giving me some pain relief too, right?"

The doctor nodded his head. "Yes of course. So you've been having stomach pains tonight, is that right?"

Beca nodded, still grimacing with the pain. "Yep. And for the last few days, worse than usual for Crohn's."

Dr Hunt nodded seriously. "Yes I read in your chart that you have Crohn's disease. I've paged our on-call gastroenterologist to come and take a look. He should be here soon. In the meantime, may I take a look at your abdomen? I need to have a listen and feel of it if that's okay?"

Beca nodded again. She was happy to let him do whatever he wanted as long as it got her closer to a diagnosis and pain relief.

Sensing that the room may be getting a little too crowded, Dr Mitchell decided now was the time to excuse himself. "Maybe I should go and wait in the waiting room. I should call your mother, and let her know what's happening."

Beca immediately sat up straighter, reacting to her father's suggestion with a firm shake of the head. "No, don't tell mom. There's no point in worrying her until we know what this is. It'll probably be nothing."

Dr Mitchell sighed, reluctantly agreeing with his daughter. It was, after all, her choice in the matter. "Okay, well you know where to find me." He spoke, looking towards the doctor and Stacie.

Dr Hunt replied, reassuring him. "We will keep you updated."

"You know what, we might wait out there too. Give the doctors some space to work." Stacie spoke up for her and Chloe, thinking that Beca might be wanting some privacy whilst the doctor tended to her. She had done her job with informing the admission staff of Beca's condition, and now it was up to the doctors to figure out what was going on inside her. Any questions they had, Beca would have to answer.

Chloe nodded, and moved to follow Stacie, despite every fibre of her being begging her to stay with Beca.

Fortunately, she wasn't the only one.

"Actually, can you stay Chloe?" Beca's voice was quiet.

"Of course." Chloe smiled softly, resuming her post at Beca's bedside whilst Stacie moved towards the waiting room.

When all the movement was over, Beca lifted up her shirt, still in her performance outfit, and laid down so that the doctor could examine her.

Chloe couldn't help it when a small gasp escaped her lips, seeing the scar on Beca's stomach. _How have I not seen that before?_

At the small sound, Beca's eyes flew over to land on Chloe's, realising immediately where they were looking. Meeting the brunette's eyes, Chloe raised an eyebrow curiously. Beca had forgotten about the scar. In response, the corners of her mouth curled up the slightest bit, combining with her raised eyebrows in an expression that matched her next words.

"Surprise?" Beca offered weakly, her tone somewhat apologetic.

Chloe couldn't help the small smile that made its way onto her face at this. Unsure of how else to react, Beca's sarcasm default had kicked in, and the redhead found herself the slightest bit amused at this. It was a relief to see Beca still capable of humour in her ill state.

"Any nausea?" The doctor interrupted their exchange.

Beca nodded her head slowly, distracted by Chloe's reaction, her eyes still on the redhead. "Uhm, yeah." She looked back at the doctor, refocussing. "Yes, nausea." She spoke definitively.

Dr Hunt nodded knowingly. "Vomiting?"

"Yep." Beca began to feel awkward about all this talk, especially since it was happening in front of a certain redhead. Not to mention she was reminded of her earlier vomiting in front of _the girl she had massive feelings for._ But, she had promised herself that she would be more honest with Chloe when she finally told her, so she might as well start now.

"I see." He moved to take the stethoscope from around his neck.

"Okay, take a few deep breaths for me Beca." The doctor instructed as he held his stethoscope to her abdomen, moving it around every few seconds.

"And now hold your breath." He requested, Beca following along.

Sitting back up, he removed the stethoscope, replacing it around his neck.

"Okay now where does it hurt?" Beca pointed in the direction of the pain, where it was now clear that her stomach was looking rather bloated.

He hummed in thought.

"Now this part might be uncomfortable, I'm sorry. I need to apply pressure to feel what's going on in there." Dr Hunt looked apologetically towards Beca, prompting Chloe to take hold of the brunette's hand supportively. He began pressing down on different areas of her stomach, frowning in deep concentration as he did so.

A minute of discomfort later, and Beca was letting out a breath of relief, glad the extra discomfort was over and done with. It turns out that pressing on the agonisingly painful part of someone's stomach makes the pain worse. Who would've thought?

Once Beca released Chloe's hand, the redhead subtly flexed it behind her back, feeling the blood flow return to where the brunette had squeezed so tight. She wasn't complaining though, she was glad for anything she could do to help Beca.

Beca glanced up at the doctor to find him studying her scar.

"You can pull your shirt back down now." Beca did as she was told. "I see you've had abdominal surgery previously?"

"Yeah." She nodded, aware of Chloe's eyes on her, also wanting to know the answer to this question.

"What was that for?"

"I had a resection to remove a stricture about a year and a half ago."

"Okay. I'm just going to take your temperature here Beca." The doctor informed her as he pulled out a crisp white gun-shaped object and pointed it at her forehead.

"Normal temp. That's good." He told the girls, taking notes in Beca's chart as he did.

"And are you still nauseous now Beca?"

"Yeah a little, but mostly in pain."

"Right."

After remaining quiet for what felt like a long time, Chloe spoke up, wanting answers as to why her friend was hurting.

"So do you know what is wrong? Are you going to give her something to treat the pain?"

"Well judging by Beca's symptoms and the fact that she has Crohn's, it is likely that she has a blockage in her intestine. It seems to be a partial blockage, which is good news if that is indeed the case, but we need to have some tests and scans done to be certain. And because of Beca's Crohn's, I would like to see what our specialist has to say about it, just to be thorough."

The two girls listened intently, both having rather different reactions. Knowing that a blockage, even partial, was not a good sign for many reasons, Beca squeezed her eyes closed shut in frustration. But she had to admit, considering everything she knew about Crohn's, Beca was probably lucky that this was all she had to deal with.

Chloe on the other hand was frowning. Following logic, a blockage meant that things weren't able to pass through the organ, which would definitely explain why Beca was in so much pain. But unsure of what this possible diagnosis actually meant for Beca, Chloe questioned the doctor further.

"And what does that mean for Beca? Is there a special treatment for it, or will it get better on its own?"

"Well typically – and I'm saying this for _if_ a partial obstruction is indeed the case – treatment involves placement of a nasogastric tube, an IV line, and, depending on the cause, we may have to administer some more drugs to eliminate or reduce the blockage. All up, at least a couple days in hospital."

 _Damn it!_

"How could that be good news?" Chloe was bewildered. Beca was probably going to be staying in hospital for days, and having all sorts of things done to her. Nothing about that sounded good to the redhead.

Seeing her friend getting worked up over her situation, Beca decided to step in and explain something to her, pushing aside the warm fuzzy feelings that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"It's good news because it is better than the alternatives," she explained seriously.

"Oh."

"Yes, it is a little trickier to treat a full obstruction, or something like a perforation. As for the pain, can you confirm that these are the medications you are on?" He turned to Beca, showing her the chart, in which Stacie had already filled out the list of medications Beca was on. From her position next to the brunette, Chloe was given a good view of the list as well. Her eyes widened as she saw the size of the list and read all the unfamiliar names.

Beca nodded in confirmation. "That's them."

"Okay good. That means I can definitely give you morphine for the pain. I'm going to get a nurse in here to take some blood and get an IV in so we can give you some morphine. I think it wouldn't hurt to give you an anti-emetic as well, to reduce your nausea."

"Can I request one thing?" Beca asked, something now on her mind.

"Of course."

"Don't give me too much morphine. Just a small enough dose to treat the pain. I want to keep my consciousness."

"Okay. We can do that."

With a final check of consent from Beca, the doctor left the room, sending a nurse back in to do the honours. Both girls watched as the nurse prepared Beca's arm for the IV, but Beca found herself looking away as soon as the woman pulled a needle out. Her eyes landing on those of Chloe's, Beca found herself wincing, not at the needle, but at the pain that washed over her midsection in a wave. This pain relief couldn't come soon enough.

Looking into those bright blue eyes, Beca found herself on the receiving end of a sympathetic smile. But unlike she might with anyone else, the brunette felt no reason to fuss over the indignant feeling she usually got from expressions of sympathy. Chloe cared about her, and she couldn't help but feel so lucky and so warm inside because of it. Just thinking about it gave her a distraction from the pain.

As the nurse fiddled with the IV in Beca's arm, flushing it with saline before administering the morphine, Chloe felt her phone buzz in her back pocket for the nth time since they had arrived at the hospital. She was aware the entire time that she was receiving text messages, most likely from the Bellas, wondering what was going on, but there were obviously more important things for the redhead to focus on. But now that there was a lull in activity, Chloe pulled out her phone to glance at the lock screen, seeing the message previews.

"Hey Beca, I know now isn't the best time to think about it, but what do you want to do about the Bellas? They will all be wanting to know what's going on."

Beca nodded in realisation that Chloe was right. They needed to figure it out asap. "Yeah, um, I guess I have no choice now, huh."

"Yeah it was kind of a public thing backstage after the performance."

"Stacie can explain it all to them, she knows the whole story. They should all go back home tonight."

"Right. About that…" Chloe trailed off questioningly. She had been wondering ever since Stacie had made that comment in the car, as to what her involvement in Beca's situation was. Especially since there was quite a bit of secrecy between the two previously.

Picking up on her curiosity, Beca gave an explanation. "Yeah she figured it out once she saw me leaving the doctor's office one day a while back. And with the whole 'med student' thing, she knows stuff."

"I see. Do you feel any different yet? Does it still hurt?" Chloe motioned towards the IV pole beside Beca's bed.

The brunette shrugged. "Ehh, not really. Still hurts like a bitch. I guess the drugs haven't kicked in yet."

"How are you dealing so well with this? I don't know how you can do it. And god knows what else you've had to deal with before now."

At this point Beca shrugged awkwardly, knowing that Chloe wasn't aware of exactly what she had gone through previously. "I think I've built up a pain tolerance."

Hearing this, Chloe felt a tug at her heartstrings. The fact that Beca was forced to build up a pain tolerance because of this and what she had been through? Well that just wasn't fair. No one should have to do that.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading!_


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Hi hi :D**

 **So first up, a big thank you to iamacrepe :)**

 **This chapter isn't massively eventful, but I hope it will be enough until I can get the next one sorted (it's nearly ready). I'm kind of excited to share what I've got written for the upcoming chapters :D**

 **I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think :)**

 **Have a fantabulous day :D**

* * *

"Wooooah." Beca blinked a couple times, attempting to adjust to the sudden change in focus happening with her eyesight.

"It's working now?" Chloe guessed, amused at the facial expressions she was witnessing.

Beca nodded. "Oh yeah." All of a sudden, she had felt this wave of something wash over her, and now she felt like her head was in the clouds.

"Man this stuff is strong!" She spoke whilst shaking her head, trying to send her mind back into clarity, making the redhead beside her laugh.

"Just give it a minute, you'll adjust."

"Oh you're feeling the morphine now I see?" Dr Hunt re-entered the room, another doctor in tow.

Beca blinked disbelievingly in confirmation. "Yeah."

"Don't worry, like your friend said, your body will adjust soon enough. How's the pain now then?"

"It's more bearable, that's for sure."

"Good. Now Beca this is Dr Moore, I will leave you in his capable hands for the moment."

Dr Moore was a seemingly quiet man, appearing to be deep in thought. His greying hair and simple-framed glasses only added to Beca and Chloe's impression that he was a well-seasoned doctor who knew what he was doing.

Of course, the specialist wanted to examine Beca's stomach, and she once again found herself lifting her shirt up for him to do so. As she did so, knowing the scar would be on show again, Beca stole a glance at Chloe, curious about her reaction this time. Much to the DJ's surprise, it was a look of intrigue that filled Chloe's expression. Now that she had a chance to fully look at the scar, Beca was expecting the redhead's reaction to be anything but intrigue.

After a quick discussion, the doctor's eyes flickered from Beca to Chloe and back to Beca.

"I have a few more questions for you Beca."

The girl grimaced knowingly. "This is the 'fun' part, right?" She was of course referring to the less-than fun part of the questioning.

A nod in response.

Beca turned to Chloe. "Do you mind waiting outside for a minute?"

"No, of course that's fine." Chloe smiled sympathetically before disappearing behind the curtain.

And true to Beca's word, the redhead was being called back in only a minute later. As she was entering the room, Dr Moore was leaving it, needing to go and make a phone call.

"Sorry for kicking you out. I didn't think you'd want to listen to _that_ conversation." Beca apologized.

Chloe shook her head. "Don't worry about it."

A moment later, Dr Hunt reappeared, having spoken to Dr Moore on his way back.

"Alright Beca, we need to take you to get some scans done now. Dr Moore agrees that you are probably looking at a partial obstruction, so we need to get the full picture of it. He's going to call Dr Griffin and discuss your case with her. Seeing as you are a little way from home, we think it would probably be ideal to move you back to Barden Teaching Hospital under Dr Griffin's care. We just need confirmation with your scans. Chloe I'm afraid you'll have to stay in the waiting room while Beca has her scans."

After a quick goodbye, Chloe found herself sitting down beside Stacie and Dr Mitchell, as Dr Hunt informed them of the situation. Still coming to grips with Beca's condition, Chloe wanted to understand the reasoning behind this sudden turn of events.

"Hey Stacie?"

"Hmm?"

"How did Beca get the obstruction? Like is that usual for Crohn's, or did something happen or...? How does that work?"

"Well it doesn't happen for everyone, but it can be a complication. Considering her ongoing symptoms, I'd say that there is a lot of inflammation going on in Beca's intestine, and that can make it narrower, so things have more trouble moving through, and that's how a partial obstruction comes about."

"Oh my god. Has this happened before?"

Stacie looked to Dr Mitchell for that answer, because she was only aware of recent events. He shook his head.

"No, this is the first," he responded in a soft voice.

They sat there in silence after that, the fatigue from a long day combining with the deep concern for the sick girl, which left not much room for words.

Half an hour later, they were joined in the waiting room by the entire group of Bellas plus Jesse, all of them wanting to be there for Beca. They had left as soon as they could after the competition was over, and were now crowded around Chloe, Stacie and Dr Mitchell. Fortunately the waiting room was large and mostly empty. It was agreed that they could all wait together until they heard back from the doctors about Beca's scans, and then decisions would be made about people's destinations.

Noticing an oddly unfamiliar silence coming from the redhead beside her, Aubrey gently placed a hand on Chloe's arm, prompting the girl to look up from her gaze directed at the floor.

"You okay Chloe? Silence doesn't suit you."

The ginger gave a weak smile in response and sighed. "I'm just worried about Beca. It's a lot to take in all at once, and I don't even know half of the story yet. It's tough seeing her in so much pain. And to think she could have been like this for so long without me knowing." She shook her head. Chloe was on the verge of tears, hating the idea that Beca could have been hurting so much over the past year and a half without her knowledge.

"She will be okay. She's a tough nut."

Chloe was given no chance to reply, as Dr Hunt came out, his eyes searching for Beca's people before landing on Chloe's blue orbs as he approached her. The entire group huddled closer to hear what he had to say.

It was basically just a confirmation of what they expected: Beca did indeed have a partial blockage, and it was not bad enough for surgery, but she would need to be treated in hospital over the next few days. The blood test results had come back as well, showing no signs of infection, which confirmed with the scans that Beca's intestine had NOT perforated and begun leaking into her abdominal cavity. Very good news indeed. Obviously the bloodwork told them that there was a lot of inflammation going on, which was to be expected.

Dr Hunt had organised for a transfer back to Barden, as soon as they were sorted with the immediate treatment, where Beca would be met by Dr Griffin. Seeing as Beca would already be monitored by her specialist because of the Crohn's, it was best to have her treat Beca for the blockage as well.

"Beca is back in Bay 1 getting a nasogastric tube inserted, but you can go and see her now if you like."

They all nodded and spoke up thanking the doctor.

"Just maybe a few people at a time though." He added as an afterthought before he left.

Fat Amy turned to Stacie. "A _what_ tube?"

"Nasogastric. NG tube. It goes up her nose and into her stomach."

"Ohhh. Sounds gnarly. Why though?"

"Did Beca eat too many gas receipts? Is that why she has to have surgery?" Flo questioned seriously.

Fat Amy turned to her, frowning. "No, he said she _doesn't_ have to have surgery, you drongo."

"I know a guy who can do the surgery for a great price." Lilly offered in her creepy almost-whisper voice.

"Wait… Is Beca pregnant?!" Ashley contributed helpfully to the conversation, obviously not thinking things through.

Cynthia Rose whacked the girl on the arm in disbelief, a look of reproval in her eyes. "And how in the hell d'you think that happened? Girl you gotta brush up on your anatomy. Chloe's a chick. Beca can't be pregnant!"

So apparently Chloe was the only possible person Beca would be sleeping with, but they all knew that wasn't happening. As far as any of these Bellas knew, Chloe and Beca were still madly crushing on each other, but neither had done anything about it yet.

Standing not far away from the mindboggling conversation, Chloe felt her eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. _What?_ She had no words.

Stacie brought the palm of her hand up to her face. "Oh my god." She muttered to herself. _Didn't you guys listen to what the doctor was saying?!_ To be fair though, for someone with no medical knowledge, the conversation between the doctor and the others wasn't going to make much sense, especially if they were unaware of the Crohn's.

"Hey, we should talk." Stacie turned to see Chloe beside her (moving on from _that_ odd conversation), Aubrey and Jesse close behind. Nodding, the brunette followed them over to a corner, where they held a quick discussion, deciding what would be happening, with Chloe speaking on behalf of Beca as previously instructed by the DJ.

"It's probably best if Beca gets some rest tonight, it might be a bit too much for her to have lots of visitors right now."

Stacie agreed. "Yeah, they wouldn't let so many of us hang around anyway."

"But she said you have permission to tell the Bellas what is going on, Stacie." Chloe informed the tall brunette. She received shocked stares from both Stacie and Jesse at this statement.

"Like… everything?"

"Mhm." Chloe nodded.

"Alright then. Well I think now is a good time to head home, now that we know Beca is okay." Stacie turned to Aubrey. "I'll explain things to the girls on the bus."

Receiving a brief hug from the blonde before she made a beeline for Beca, Chloe bid the group goodbye.

Aubrey then moved over to the rest of the girls and announced, in a voice that said _don't mess with me_ , "Listen up Bellas. We will be going back home now. I want to find you all on the bus in 5 minutes. Beca needs her rest, you can see her another day."

Jesse moved to kiss the blonde goodbye. "I'm going to stay and catch a ride back with Dr Mitchell. I'll see you later."


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating. I actually have a good excuse, I ended up (ironically somewhat like Beca) in hospital for surgery, and my Crohn's has been playing up so yeah. Also an ironic/fun fact: I'll now be starting Humira too, just like Beca.**

 **Anyway, thanks to everyone for being patient, and thanks for reading/following/favouriting/reviewing, and for existing :)**

 **Special thanks to iamacrepe!**

 **And my thoughts are with those of you in America.**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

The redhead slowly approached Bay 1, seeing a nurse finishing up with Beca. Beca was now dressed in a hospital gown; she had the whole 'inpatient' look going on. Chloe waited until the nurse left before she came to stand at the foot of the brunette's bed.

"Hey."

"Hey." Beca smiled, happy to see Chloe there with her. The redhead smiled back, before studying the new attachment Beca had: her NG tube.

There was a thin tube going into the brunette's left nostril, held in place by a piece of medical tape stuck to the girl's nose. Following the tube in in the other direction, Chloe found herself gazing curiously at the clear container that it lead to. The container was attached to the wall behind Beca's shoulder, where it was provided with suction power. Currently, there was an icky dark green-brown substance slowly emptying from the tube into the container.

Beca's eyes followed the redhead's as she studied the whole setup.

"You want to get to know me better? Have a look at my stomach contents. The up close and personal experience." She spoke softly, filling the silence with some sarcasm.

Chloe moved from her position at the foot of the bed to stand beside the girl. "How does it feel?"

Beca shrugged. "Meh. I can see myself getting very irritated at this thing." She rolled her eyes, swallowing with difficulty.

Chloe hadn't noticed it the first time Beca spoke, but it was definitely clear now. The DJ's voice was a little strained, which was understandable. The NG tube went up her nose and down her throat, so that was bound to have some effect.

"Beca!" Both girls turned their attention to the two new visitors in front of them. Jesse was anxiously glancing between the NG tube and the sick girl, but even so, he was glad to finally see his best friend. Beside him stood Dr Mitchell, relieved to see his daughter seemingly in less pain than before.

"Hey Jesse. How did your performance go?"

Standing there quietly watching the interaction, it dawned on Chloe that she hadn't even thought to ask the Bellas who won. She had more important things to worry about.

"Oh _that's_ the thing you want to talk about?"

"Yeah. Hospital stuff is boring. I want to know who won." Beca was looking for a distraction. Hanging out in a hospital wasn't exactly her ideal night out. Plus, there was still a dull throbbing going on in her abdomen, thanks to the DJ's request to limit her pain relief.

Jesse realised this, and was happy to oblige.

"We kicked butt out there. But uhh," he rubbed the back of his neck, reluctant to say it. "The Bellas beat us by 5 points." He mumbled out the last part, the disappointment seeping back into his mind as he remembered what that meant.

Both girls lit up at this. "We won?" Chloe asked, her voice rising an octave in excitement.

Jesse nodded. "Yep. Congratulations, you deserve it." He smiled at them, genuinely happy for the Bellas. He knew how hard Beca worked, how hard they had all worked to earn that trophy.

Temporarily forgetting about Beca's current situation, Chloe moved to hug the brunette in celebration, but she realised just before she made contact and immediately pulled back, scared to hurt the girl. Sensing this, Beca smiled reassuringly, and reached over for a hug in a rare moment of willingness for contact. Chloe wrapped an arm delicately around the girl, smiling widely at their achievement, and glad to be able to hug Beca without hurting her. They pulled back, and Beca winced subtly at the movements she was making, before composing herself.

"I'm so proud of you Becs." The girls shared an affectionate smile.

"Couldn't have done it without you Chlo." Beca then turned back to Jesse, "You guys will ace the Wildcard round anyway," she offered up a point of consolation.

Whilst in semi-finals, only the champions proceed to the ICCA finals in New York, there was a round for the 2nd and 3rd place teams from each semi to compete with an online submission. With Benji's magic tricks and the group's vocals, they knew that there was a good chance the Treblemakers could come up with a really cool performance and win the Wildcard spot at finals.

"Damn right we will."

Speaking up for the first time since entering the room, Dr Mitchell commented on Beca's performance. "I can't believe you managed to compete considering what we know now."

Jesse nodded animatedly, returning to the matter at hand. "Yeah, I mean you have a freakin' blockage and you were out there dancing and singing. I've said it before and I'll say it again. You are a true badass, Beca Mitchell." The Treblemaker truly admired his friend's strength; it was unlike anything he'd seen in anyone before.

"Yeah," Beca paused to swallow again thickly, feeling the NG tube beginning to irritate her throat. "A badass who is ready for this day to be over." She was returning to the reality of her discomfort in her abdomen, and the exhaustion from such an eventful day was beginning to set in. She leant her head back against the pillow behind her, falling silent.

"I might go and check with the doctors to see when your transfer will happen." Dr Mitchell backed out of the bay his daughter was in, headed straight for the nurses' desk. He really wanted to help in any way possible, now that she had let him in on her life more this year.

* * *

Back on the bus home, Stacie had just finished explaining everything to the girls, and they all sat there in silence. Going through each of their minds was the thought that _Beca,_ their Beca, was living with this horrible condition, and that she had kept it from them for so long. Stacie had given them the necessary information, and explained it in a way that made sense, for the most part, to them all. She was wary of stepping on Beca's toes with her explanation, so the tall brunette decided to leave the other information – things like what medication she was on or how many surgeries she had previously had or how long since she was diagnosed – for the DJ to explain if she wanted to, when she was feeling better. And so there were still things that the girls didn't quite understand.

"Wait, so it's not cancer or anything like that? So that's a good thing, right?" Amy was the first to speak up.

"Yeah, so she just needs that NG tube to do its thing and then our captain will be all good, right?"

"I had diarrhoea when I was back in my home country, and I'm okay now. Beca will be fine."

"No she's not dying of cancer, but Crohn's disease does have some major implications. It's not that simple," Stacie replied in a sombre tone.

Aubrey stepped in to help. "There are medications she needs to be on to keep treating the condition, it doesn't just go away."

"But she's always seemed fine, what's up with that? She barely ever looked sick." Fat Amy was confused. Surely she would have noticed if Beca had been sick, especially since they all lived together.

"It's what is called an invisible illness. You can't always see that it is there, and you can't always see that someone is sick. Beca might have looked or seemed okay, but it has been a different story on the inside. It's not easy to tell that someone's intestines are ill."

"Oh."

"What can we do to help her?"

"Do you think she wants to see some of my amazing mermaid dancing? Maybe that will cheer her up."

"Why are we leaving her? Can't we go back and be with her to –"

"What about –"

"Can we –"

Suddenly Stacie and Aubrey were being bombarded with question after question from the worried Bellas.

Aubrey raised her hand, demanding silence. "No we can't be at her bedside right now. Beca needs to rest."

Stacie agreed. "Aubrey is right. The best thing we can do for her right now is give her some space and time so she can recover. She knows we are here for her."

* * *

The ride over to Barden Teaching Hospital was rather uneventful. Much to Beca's dismay, she was forced to travel in an ambulance, so all her machines could continue their work. Fortunately though, she was allowed to have one person ride along with her in the back. Jesse immediately got to work organising Dr Mitchell to drive himself and the Treble back, allowing for Chloe to accompany Beca in the ambulance.

Having Chloe there with her was certainly comforting for Beca, though with the paramedic in the back as well, the girls weren't given much of an opportunity to talk. And so, laying down on a bed in relative silence, Beca found herself drifting off to sleep several times. Each time she realised she had fallen asleep, the DJ would shake her head, trying to stay awake, but it wouldn't last long and her eyes would soon enough close shut again. After watching a few rounds of this, Chloe put her hand gently on Beca's forearm the next time she was awake. Beca's eyes landed immediately on the redhead, apologetic.

Chloe shook her head. "Go to sleep Becs. We can wake you up when we get there."

Without having much choice, the brunette agreed. She reluctantly shut her eyes once more, with the awareness of the warmth of Chloe's hand on her arm floating somewhere in the back of her mind.

In no time at all it seemed, Beca was laying in her new bed at Barden Teaching Hospital, with all her cords and lines attached. She had her NG tube suctioning away, a pulse monitor attached to her index finger, and a new bag of fluids flowing in through her IV.

Reviewing Beca's case with her when she had arrived, Dr Griffin had told the girl she would need the fluids to prevent dehydration, and "just to be clear, you cannot eat anything at this stage."

Beca had nodded along, happy to abide by this rule, seeing as she had no desire whatsoever to put anything in her belly.

"We are going to keep you on the fluids and morphine overnight, and give the NG tube some time to work its magic, and then we will look at what to do next. Sound good?"

"Sure."

"I will be in in the morning to see you. If you need anything before then, give the nurses a call. And rest up Beca." The doctor gave a pointed look to Chloe.

The redhead smiled. "I'll make sure she does."

"Good."

There was an unspoken agreement between Chloe and Beca that the older girl would stay with the brunette for the night to keep her company.

Neither was willing to say it out loud, but both girls just _knew._ There was a recliner chair beside Beca's bed with the redhead's name on it. After speaking with Dr Griffin, Jesse and Dr Mitchell had headed home. They had driven straight over after seeing the ambulance off from the first hospital, and had met Beca and Chloe with Dr Griffin when they arrived at Barden. It was a given that they would be back the next day.

Stacie had also dropped by to bring the girls some bare essentials for a hospital stay – phone chargers, clothes, Beca's headphones and the like – and she had left with the promise of visiting the next day. But before leaving, the med student had briefly informed Beca of the response of the rest of the Bellas to finding out about the Crohn's disease, telling her she had nothing to worry about. The girls only wanted to help Beca in whatever way they could.

* * *

When she was finally settled into her room, Beca was introduced to Tess, her new roommate. They were positioned opposite each other in a room meant for four patients. A divider between neighbouring beds and a curtain at the end of each bed gave them a little privacy, but it wasn't much. Fortunately, the two other bays in the room were empty for the time being.

Tess appeared to be not much older than Beca herself, though she had no one staying with her overnight. A thin wiry girl with a pale yet kind face, Tess had nodded in their direction as a way of saying 'hi'.

"What are you in for?" the girl had enquired once all the medical staff had left, eyeing the DJ's NG tube.

"Partial obstruction," Beca found herself telling the stranger easily enough. They were in the Gastroenterology Ward, so there was a limited number of reasons to be hospitalised there.

"Ahh." Tess nodded casually. "I'm here for a colectomy. I _finally_ got rid of my no-good useless colon."

"Oh," Beca replied.

"Wow. That's… major." Chloe was shocked at how coolly those words were spoken. Like it was such a casual thing, to be having an organ removed.

"Yeah, Crohn's disease will do that to you. You a Crohnie too Beca?"

"Yup."

"Autoimmune disease: because the only thing tough enough to kick my ass is me, right?"

Beca tilted her head and frowned, contemplating those words. Never had she heard of their situation described _quite_ like that. But it made sense, nonetheless. "Yeah, I guess so." She looked over at Chloe, sitting in the chair beside her. The redhead was staring at her, her eyes practically begging for an explanation. All the words being tossed around so casually – _colectomy, crohnie, autoimmune –_ were making her head spin.

"Crohn's is an autoimmune disease, Chlo. The immune system thinks that some parts of the digestive system are foreign, so it attacks." Beca subconsciously rubbed her throat, feeling the irritation from the tube, before pushing it from her mind.

Chloe nodded, processing the information. "O-kay." _So essentially, Beca's body has waged war on itself._ _Oh em aca gee._ She had to hold herself back from giving the brunette a bone-crushing hug of comfort, as she realised there must be a number of implications as a result of this autoimmune thing.

"Well as much as I'd love to stay up all night and compare our histories of suffering, I'm going to go to sleep. They don't let you go four hours undisturbed in this place, so you might as well try and sleep as much as you can," Tess advised.

"Right, yeah probably a good idea."

Tess closed her eyes, and Chloe leant closer to Beca, speaking in a quiet voice so she wouldn't disturb the sleeping girl across from them. "Do you want your hot water bottle? How are you feeling?"

"Actually yeah, that would be great. It doesn't hurt too much, but it wouldn't hurt to have the warmth help settle it."

"Bah bow. No hot water bottles allowed." The girls turned to see Tess looking over at them, a look of dismay plastering her face.

"What do you mean, 'no hot water bottles'?!" Beca questioned, disbelief flooding her eyes.

"Apparently they are, and I quote, "a danger to your safety", you could get _burned_ ," the girl explained, unimpressed by the hospital policy. "Trust me, I've been here enough times to fight them on it, but they won't budge."

Beca huffed, rolling her eyes. "You know what, it's fine. I don't really need it anyway." The brunette knew that wasn't true, but she didn't have much choice now. _I'll survive._

Replacing the item back into the bag beside her, the redhead decided it was worth mentioning something. "You know, you don't have to act strong all the time. If you are in pain, you need to tell us. I'm sure they can give you something stronger for it."

Beca gave her a weak salute with her IV-less arm. "Eye-eye captain."

The girls were both quiet for a moment, caught up in their own minds. On the one hand, Beca was stuck between processing the situation, wondering what to say next, and just sitting there staring into space (thanks to her pain medication). On the other hand, Chloe was coming up with more and more questions in her mind about Beca's situation, but finding herself unable to ask them. What was appropriate to ask? Would Beca be offended at some of her questions? Would she refuse to answer them? What if Chloe said something insensitive without realising it? _She probably just wants to sleep, she must be exhausted. I can't go asking her questions tonight._ But how would she herself sleep that night without answers? It was not like Chloe could just let it go now that she knew _some_ things. Learning those things only raised more questions that she wouldn't be able to sleep without knowing the answers to.

"Wait a second." Beca tilted her head, as a thought occurred to her for the first time that night. Chloe raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Hmm?"

"How did you not know that we won tonight?" She didn't know why, but her brain suddenly decided to bring that to light in the forefront of her mind. _Chloe_ was the one to ask if they won when Jesse said the Trebles lost to them.

"Oh, I was a little preoccupied. I was worried about you." She spoke earnestly, adding in a quieter voice, "I still am."

Beca sat up resolutely. "Well then let me answer your questions. I know you must have a lot sitting up in that brain of yours."

"No Beca. You must be tired. You need to get some sleep." Chloe tried to refuse the offer, despite _really_ wanting to have the girl answer her questions.

Beca shook her head, determined. "Nope I'm good. My brain is a little foggy, but I don't want to sleep. I will have plenty of time for that later on, but right now I have something more important to do." Though her body felt like it really wanted to pass out, and her throat was getting irritated whenever she spoke, Beca was firm in her stance. She couldn't leave Chloe hanging after telling her a few details without explanation. That wasn't fair. Chloe deserved answers, and Beca was finally ready to be honest. She was finally ready to have this discussion, and she really didn't want to prolong it any further.

Chloe relented, accepting that Beca would tell her when she had had enough. So the redhead had moved to close the curtain at the end of Beca's bed, attempting to stop the sound of their voices from floating over to Tess, before pulling her chair to sit closer to Beca. The DJ was now laying on her side facing the redhead, propping her head up with her arm.

By now it was well after midnight, and there was only a singular light above them, providing a dim glow just bright enough for the girls to see each other's faces.

"So um, how about you ask questions and I'll try to answer as best I can, yeah?"

"Sounds good. But is there any kind of question you don't want to answer, or…?"

Beca shook her head adamantly, feeling the dizziness return momentarily, but she ignored it. "Nope, ask anything you want." Honesty. That was what she wanted to have with Chloe. And that meant nothing was off-limits.

"Okay, but if you get tired, say the word and we can stop."

"No I'm good. Ask away."

* * *

 **Introducing Tess. Let me know what you think :D**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: hi hi :)**

 **So I hope you enjoy reading this chapter :) Let me know what you think!**

 **Big thanks to iamacrepe :D**

* * *

"Okay so, let me get this straight: Crohn's disease is a digestive disease, it means there is inflammation, and your body attacks itself, right?"

"Right. And in my case, it is my intestines that are affected."

"And… the symptoms?" Chloe asked hesitantly.

Beca paused to swallow carefully. "The symptoms," she took a deep breath. "As you might have figured out by now, include fatigue, stomach pains, nausea, trips to the bathroom, bleeding from an unpleasant area, weight loss, and some other stuff." She looked up from where she had been counting off her fingers as she listed all the symptoms, to find Chloe's eyes flashing in recognition at everything she was saying.

"So, that night we all went out for pizza?"

"I was in the bathroom throwing up before I called my dad to pick me up. I stayed at his house."

"And all the times you were avoiding eating?"

Beca nodded in confirmation. "Crohn's again."

"And after the bonding night we had with all the drinking?"

"Yeah my stomach reacts to alcohol."

"Why is that?"

Beca shrugged. "I don't really know, it just seems that it can get sensitive when I'm sick."

"Oh wow. Things make so much more sense now. I thought I was crazy."

At those words, Beca found herself looking away, her eyes instead focussing on the floor beside Chloe's chair. The guilt was quick to rise up in the forefront of the brunette's mind, as she considered yet again how she had made Chloe feel with her secrecy.

"How long has this been going on?" Beca was brought out of her guilt by Chloe's curiosity with another question.

"Well, I mean I've had Crohn's since I was 14, but," she wasn't given a chance to finish her explanation.

"You've been sick for the past _five_ years?!" Chloe's eyes were almost popping out of her head, and her jaw had dropped open without invitation.

Beca was quick to calm her down, not wanting to make this into a big scene. "No no no. Oh, god no. Crohn's disease has periods of remission and flare up. So sometimes the inflammation is under control, and other times it is not. This flare up that I'm in right now started around the beginning of the school year."

Chloe picked her jaw up off of the floor as she took this in. "Oh. You scared me Beca! What about last year? Were you sick then?"

"No, I was actually in my longest remission for the entire year."

"Wow. Five years is still a long time to have Crohn's though, right? Like can't the inflammation be treated? I mean, surely there's a way to treat it and all, like you can't have it there forever, right?"

The idea of Beca being sick for the rest of her life was terrifying to the redhead. Just thinking about it made her head spin.

But all she got in response was silence.

"Becs?" Chloe looked up to find the girl fast asleep, the day's events finally having gotten the best of her.

She sighed, _I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out._

"Chloe?" It was Tess calling softly through the curtain.

"Yeah?"

"Crohn's disease is incurable."

"Oh my god." Chloe whispered this to herself in shock.

Pulling out her phone, the redhead began typing a message, desperate for more answers. She was hoping the recipient had not yet gone to sleep, and would be able to provide those answers. Whilst Chloe knew there were several things that would be best to ask Beca herself, she figured it would be okay to find out some general pieces of information, so she was better informed and not going crazy with curiosity overnight.

 _Chloe: can people die from it?_

It didn't take long before the screen in Chloe's hand lit up, as Stacie replied.

 _Stacie: Crohn's? Rarely. Not unless it's a major complication._

 _Okay,_ Chloe thought to herself. _That's good._

Somehow Stacie seemed to pick up on what Chloe was doing immediately, and was happy to help provide answers. This led to a rapid fire session with Chloe shooting questions and Stacie answering, regardless of what time it was.

 _Chloe: Is it genetic?_

 _Stacie: Not exactly. There are a handful of factors involved. But it's not as simple as passing it down from generation to generation._

 _Chloe: How did she get it?_

 _Stacie: The exact cause is unknown, but it is kind of like a combination of things, and her body decided that that was a good time to act up. There's not usually 1 specific trigger._

 _Chloe: Does diet do anything to help?_

 _Stacie: Dependent on the individual. Generally takes a lot more than diet to treat Crohn's. But some people find avoiding certain foods can help, or they find that some foods make them feel worse._

 _Chloe: How does she treat the symptoms?_

 _Stacie: There are medications that help to manage things, and induce remission._

Finally Chloe brought up the one thing that was on her mind the most.

 _Chloe: But it's a permanent thing, right?_

 _Stacie: It is. But Beca deals with it really well, and it won't always be this hard. She'll be okay._

Their messaging ceased at this point. Chloe, temporarily satisfied with the answers she had received, was now repeating that phrase in her head like a mantra. _She'll be okay. She'll be okay._

* * *

The next morning Chloe woke up to the sound of more foreign words being thrown around. It seemed Beca and Tess were having some sort of competition with their strange words.

"Sulfasalazine." Beca's was the first voice she was able to focus on, the redhead still waking up properly.

"Been there, done that. You can do better than that!" Tess joked.

Beca nodded, a glint in her eyes. "I'm just getting started." Chloe was glad to hear the usual sarcasm filling her favourite person's voice, and the brunette seemed to be feeling better this morning by the sounds of it, which made the redhead even happier. Or maybe she had just been given another dose of morphine…

"Azathioprine." Tess shot out.

"Snap!" Beca called back.

"6MP."

"Oh, tough break, you got both?"

Tess nodded, unfazed by this. "My liver didn't like the azathioprine."

"Salofalk."

"Predsol."

"Prednisone." Both girls shuddered at that name.

"Too many times." Tess shook her head.

"Anything above zero is too many times." Beca agreed. "Hmm, oh Humira." She continued on with their game.

 _Are these the names of their medications or something?_ Chloe was curious. There were quite a few names being thrown around. Wanting to see where this back and forth was going, the redhead remained quiet, her eyes darting between the two as they spoke.

Tess shook her head. "Remicade."

"Methotrexate."

"Yep."

Beca paused, squinting her eyes in thought. "I'm all out."

"Me too…"

Beca took this pause in their game to steal a glance at Chloe, finding the redhead awake and staring between the two inpatients.

"Oh hey Chlo."

"Hey." The redhead gave a winning smile at the brunette beside her, happy to see those beautiful eyes trained on her. "This is some weird competition you've got going," she commented, glancing over at Tess, who laughed.

"And we hadn't even gotten to surgeries yet. I could totally win that one."

Chloe was taken aback. "How many have you had?!"

"2 rounds of stricturoplasty, a resection, and now a colectomy. And I'll be having two more surgeries soon enough."

Now it was Beca's turn to join Chloe on Team Stunned. That was a _lot_ of surgery.

"Yeah, one resection is enough for me. You can keep that trophy."

The girls were then interrupted by Tess's surgeon, Dr Griffin, and her minions (nurses, interns) entering the room to check up on the post-op girl.

Chloe turned so that she was fully facing Beca. "How are you feeling this morning? You sound a lot better."

"Yeah I just got more morphine a half hour ago." Beca smirked. "Drugs are good."

Chloe chuckled. "I'm glad to hear."

Beca had made sure that with this dose, as with the others she received during the night, she was only given enough to relieve the pain without affecting her consciousness too much, though she still found herself feeling a little lightheaded at the powerful drug.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep last night. I think we were in the middle of talking about something important, but I don't remember exactly." She apologized, feeling terrible for leaving the conscious world in the midst of an important conversation with Chloe.

Chloe shook her head reassuringly, brushing it off. "It's okay, there's plenty of other opportunities for me to ask questions. I mean, it doesn't seem like you're going anywhere right this second, right?"

"Nope, they're holding me hostage."

"Are we now?" Dr Griffin made her way over to the foot of Beca's bed, her file in hand. "It seems we can't get rid of you. You were only here last week."

Chloe's eyes clouded over in confusion. _Beca was in hospital last week?_

"Well if that's an invitation for me to go, I'll gladly take it."

The doctor smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, we do need to keep you in for at least another night while we treat your obstruction."

She proceeded to read over Beca's file, looking at the scans and then conducting an examination on the girl. After asking a few more questions about the girl's symptoms, Dr Griffin sighed, regretting what she was about to tell Beca. That earned her a suspicious look from the DJ.

"You're not going to like me for this Beca, but I'm going to have to put you on steroids for the time being."

Beca's face dropped. _Fuck! Damn it. Shit. Crapballs. Fuck again._

Chloe watched as the girl's facial expression turned suddenly from calm and collected to something else within two seconds of hearing those words come out of the doctor's mouth. One by one, glimmers of horror, then disappointment, then sadness, then frustration, and finally resignation flashed across Beca's face, and Chloe was given a front-row seat to the show of emotion, no doubt a show which would never have been authorised if Beca were in charge of her emotions in this moment.

"You've been on Humira for 2 months now and it clearly isn't having the desired effect at this stage. I think we need to give it that boost with the prednisone so a situation like this doesn't happen again. It seems that there is a lot of inflammation still going on in your intestines, and that is what caused this obstruction. Your Humira isn't working yet, and we need to get this inflammation under control as soon as possible."

Refocussing on the important facts, Beca asked the question that had been dwelling inside her brain for the past week. "Should it be taking this long for the Humira to work? Or is it not going to work for me?"

"Well, each patient is different. Yes, in most cases a patient would have shown some kind of improvement by now, but I am still optimistic that the steroids will be able to kick-start your healing. Then the Humira will take over from there."

Seeing the reluctance still in Beca's eyes, Dr Griffin tried another tactic.

"Realistically, if we don't do this, you will likely end up back in the ER with a full-blown obstruction." The doctor gave it to her without holding back. Beca needed to understand the gravity of the situation, so she would understand how important it was for her to get the steroid treatment.

"Okay, so now…"

"Now we start you on IV prednisone. It will be a high dose, because we need to reduce the inflammation immediately. Then you will go onto a course of oral prednisone."

After this intense discussion, Dr Griffin called in a nurse to set up the first steroid IV, and once that was sorted, the girls were left alone. According to the doctor, Beca was still under strict diet regulations. That is, fasting for at least another day whilst the IV gave her what she needed in fluids and nutrients. There was no point in having Beca eat if it would only cause more trouble with her obstruction situation.

As soon as they were alone, Chloe turned to Beca, needing clarification ASAP. "Beca you were in hospital _last week_?"

Distracted by the news she had just received from her specialist, Beca snapped herself out of dwelling on that problem and instead zoned in on Chloe's question.

"Oh. Yeah, about that."

Chloe was staring at her expectantly, her eyebrows raised as she waited for more words to come out of the brunette's mouth.

"I kind of passed out at the radio station. It was no big deal. I just needed some fluids. I was dehydrated and low on iron, so, yeah."

 _The iron tablets. Oh._ "When did this happen? Was I here or was it during the break? Please don't tell me I missed all the signs."

"Oh no, you weren't home at the time. It was on Friday morning, before you got back."

Beca watched as the dots were being connected all over in the redhead's brain.

"Oh my god Becs!" Skipping past the fact that she remembered Beca and Stacie fighting about something when she got home – she would have to ask about that later – and jumping straight onto the fact that she had confronted Beca that day, when she had _just been in hospital_ , no less, Chloe was horrified. Her hands came up to her mouth, covering it in shock at her realisation.

"I… I was interrogating you and accusing you of things and you had been in hospital that _same day_? What kind of person am I? I can't believe I did that!"

Beca sat up and reached over, putting her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Chlo, calm down. Listen to me. You had every right to ask the questions you did. You did nothing wrong. I was too hell-bent on hiding it, so you couldn't have known. Okay?" She spoke firmly, making sure Chloe believed her.

The redhead nodded half-heartedly.

"Seriously Chloe. It's all cool."

"Yeah okay." Because when Beca was looking at her like she was, it was hard not to believe her.

* * *

"Hey girls! Becaw. How's my favourite Crohnie going?" Jesse casually strolled into the room.

In true Beca fashion, she responded with an eye roll at the boy's words.

"Hi Jesse." Chloe smiled.

"So what's new?"

Beca glared at him. "Steroids." She wasn't really glaring at _him_ per se, just at the idea of having to have steroids again. Written all over her face was the word _unimpressed._

"Oh." His expression dropped. "And we are having a pity party I see?"

The DJ crossed her arms defiantly. "Yes I am." She was daring him to judge her for it.

Jesse shrugged. "Okay, fair enough. I can understand that."

He pulled up a chair on the other side of the bed, but not before handing a laptop bag over to Beca. "I figured you might want this."

Beca smiled in appreciation. "Thanks Jesse."

The treblemaker stayed to chat for a little while before heading off to take care of things at the radio station. Now that Beca was unavailable for the time being, her shifts needed to be covered.

After Jesse left, the two girls spent the remainder of the day going through Beca's music library looking for songs that would go well together in a potential mix. That is, in between the nurse and doctor's visits, and the occasional nap.

Though everything seemed, for the most part, normal between them, Beca could still sense a newfound hesitation in Chloe's demeanour. And when she finally convinced herself that this was definitely the case and she was not imagining things, Beca decided to broach the topic.

"You know, I'm still me. Nothing has changed, right Chloe?"

Taken aback as to where this suddenly came from, the redhead responded in confusion. "Yeaah," she drew out slowly, "Your point being…?"

"You just seem a little off. Like you're tip-toeing around me. I'm not fragile."

"What? Oh, no no no. That's not what this is about. I'm just … this is all new to me, so I'm still processing. That's all."

"If this is too much for you, you can go. I'd understand."

"No." Chloe cut Beca off firmly. "I want to stay. I'm not going anywhere." She reached over and linked her hand with Beca's free one to make her point.

Beca looked down at their joined hands, feeling a smile tugging at the sides of her mouth.

"Okay, well uh, cool bananas I guess." Beca's awkwardness took over, as her brain scrambled to find something to say. This would have to do. What she really wanted to say was _thank you_.

"Yeah, cool bananas." Chloe agreed, smiling warmly. "Hey Beca?"

"Hm?"

"Why did your doctor seem really reluctant to give you the steroids? I mean, I get that in any situation, the less medication the better, but it seemed like there was more to it than that."

Beca nodded, ready to tell her the truth. "No you're right. I've been on steroids before, and to put it nicely, it sucked. Don't get me wrong, I love that they're so effective, but the side effects really fucking suck."

"Amen sister!" Beca's roommate called out in agreement. No one liked to be on steroids.

"Oh. What kind of side effects?"

Beca moved to sit cross-legged on her bed, leaning her chin on her hand as she thought about it. "Well, there's the moon face, the increased appetite," she was counting them off on her fingers as she went. "The water retention, the insomnia, acne, increased risk of brittle bones. Oh and the mood swings." She rolled her eyes, almost shuddering at the memory of it all.

"Well that sounds just wonderful." Chloe reacted sarcastically, as she pulled a face that said 'yikes!'

"You can be my guest and take my share now if you like." Beca joked back, her face still serious.

"I would if it meant you would get better." Chloe looked Beca in the eyes, trying to convey her sincerity about her statement. Beca gazed back, momentarily speechless at those words.

"You two should just kiss already!" Tess's voice floated over from behind the curtain.

"Thanks Tess." Beca's voice was dripping with sarcasm as she rolled her eyes. Her roommate chose the best times to join in on their conversations.

"You're welcome." They could hear the devilish grin in the girl's voice. Well at least Beca wasn't stuck with a really grumpy roommate.

Turning back to Chloe, the brunette changed her expression. Softening, she shared a look with the girl beside her that said a thousand words.

"I meant what I said." Chloe whispered.

"I know. Thank you." Beca hoped those two words were enough to convey how much it meant to her.


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: My apologies for the long delay between updates! I hope this chapter makes up for that? Anyway, a massive thank you to iamacrepe, as always :)**

 **Hope you enjoy reading, and I'd love to hear what you think of this chapter :D**

* * *

The next day Chloe found herself wincing as she sat there watching an intern attempt to insert a new IV needle into Beca's arm. The first one had somehow fallen out of place with Beca's movement, and Dr Griffin had allowed her intern to place the new one. Apparently it was quite the difficult task, because the poor student was on her third attempt when the redhead spoke up, feeling protective over Beca.

"Could you maybe do it yourself Dr Griffin? I'm worried Beca will have nowhere else left to be poked in a minute."

Dr Griffin chuckled, and the intern immediately leant back, embarrassed at her failure and ready to swap places. But Beca motioned them to stop with a wave.

"No it's fine. I'm used to being poked and prodded. Third time lucky, right?" She encouraged the intern, who moved to pick up a new needle, receiving further guidance from the doctor beside her.

Whilst this was happening, Beca shot a glance to Chloe, a single raised eyebrow and signature smirk showing. Chloe looked down abashedly, realising she had probably overstepped there.

"I'm sorry, that wasn't nice of me to say. I'm just a little tired and freaked out about the hospital situation."

Beca smiled, amused by the fussing. "How about you go get some coffee? You haven't left this room all morning."

At Chloe's hesitation, the brunette happily reassured her. "I'll be fine here. Okay, I mean." She caught herself, saying that 'fine' word. Since that fight they'd had, Beca had been extra cautious of her words. Chloe hadn't reacted well to the words 'I'm fine', and Beca thought she had better choose her words more carefully now. "I'll be okay."

"Alright, but call me if you need anything," the redhead instructed.

"Of course. And make sure you get something to eat! Just because I can't eat doesn't mean you have to starve yourself."

Chloe blushed, realising that Beca had caught on to her. She was avoiding eating in front of her because she thought it would be unfair for Beca to see food that she wasn't able to eat herself. And seeing as she had only left the room once since Beca had been admitted, when Jesse had come to visit, Chloe had not eaten anything since sometime the day before. Dr Griffin smiled knowingly, seeing the affection between the two girls.

Feeling her stomach rumble at the thought of food, the redhead agreed to the command, and was out of the room a minute later.

Now that the intern was finished with the needle, Dr Griffin began taking Beca's vitals. Every few hours someone, either a nurse, intern or the doctor herself was in visiting Beca, and checking up on her status. As she did so this time, the doctor spoke up amused at the previous scene.

"Your girlfriend really cares about you. It's sweet."

Beca had to double-take. "Uhm, wha… ah –" She stuttered out, unable to find a response in her voice box. _They looked like girlfriends?_ Her heart fluttered.

Immediately Dr Griffin's eyes widened. "Oh sorry, I just assumed, with the way you look at each other."

"Yeah if you aren't together then you should be!" Tess jumped in out of nowhere, agreeing with the doctor.

Beca looked down awkwardly. "Uh it's complicated."

"Oh I see." Dr Griffin continued to note the girl's vitals in her chart. "How are you feeling?"

"As disgusting as this thing is," the DJ pointed to the canister hanging on the wall behind her head – the one which was still sucking away at her stomach contents, "I love it. It's my new favourite thing."

The doctor laughed as she moved to examine the girl's stomach. "I'm glad. So the pain and nausea are better?"

Beca nodded as she felt the cold gloves on her skin. "Yeah. It still hurts a little in that one spot, but not as bad as it was."

"Great. Unfortunately you will still need the steroids to reduce the inflammation that caused the blockage though. Your new best friend might be helping the symptoms, but it can't fix the problem," she informed Beca solemnly.

"Yeah, I figured."

"Okay, well I'll come by to check up on you later today. We might be able to remove the NG tube so you can have your nose back soon. Oh, and a piece of unwanted advice Beca? A lot of people struggle with relationships because of their illnesses, I get that it can complicate things. But," she nodded towards the door where Chloe had disappeared to, "you've got yourself a good one there. Don't let your illness get in the way of that. If what I've seen so far is a good indicator, nothing will stop that girl from wanting to be with you. Definitely not Crohn's."

Beca nodded slowly, thinking about her words. How is it that everyone was suddenly a philosophical genius, giving her encouraging speeches about her relationship with Chloe?

Just as the doctor was about leave the room, Beca called her back, a question on the tip of her tongue.

"Dr Griffin?"

"Yes?"

"What if… what if I'm a burden on her with all of this?"

Dr Griffin softened, hearing the fear in the girl's voice. "I guess you'll have to find that out from Chloe. But in my experience, I haven't known anyone to think of a loved ones' illness as a burden. You'll just have to trust that she will tell you if it gets to be too much."

"I guess so. Thanks."

* * *

Across the room, Tess was preparing herself to stand up with her newly acquired walker, ready to go for a walk around the hospital floor. As she passed by Beca's bed, she spoke up, a smirk playing on her lips.

"I'm going to go for a looong walk now. Give you two some privacy. You're welcome." She winked jokingly.

Beca laughed, blushing. "Oh my god," she muttered to herself as Tess disappeared out the room. _My roommate is crazy._

It was only a few minutes later that Chloe came across the girl and her walker in the hallway. The redhead smiled at her, coffee cup in hand, but paused in her steps as Tess opened her mouth to speak.

"Do me a favour, Chloe?"

"Sure."

"Ask Beca out already!"

Chloe tilted her head in surprise, her eyebrows raising together and her mouth opening slightly. "…Uhhh. It's a little –"

"Yeah yeah, _complicated,_ I know. Just say yes ma'am," Tess instructed.

Smiling in amusement, but agreeing to go along with it, Chloe copied her words. "Yes ma'am." To Tess's delight, the redhead seemed serious in her words.

* * *

"I'm back!" Chloe grinned as she announced her presence to Beca.

"Indeed you are," Beca smirked back. "You were gone for what, 3 minutes? You can't stay away from me."

Chloe laughed. _True,_ she thought.

"Hey, can we talk?" Beca now had a serious look on her face. She wanted to talk about something important. Chloe nodded curiously, moving to sit down next to the brunette.

"I want to apologise for how I handled this whole situation, with hiding it from you for so long. I hate that I was keeping things from you and not telling you the truth."

Chloe gave a small smile, appreciating the apology. But there was something she still didn't understand.

"Can I ask you something? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just, …" Beca sighed, her eyes looking around in search of the right words. "I don't know… It just seemed easier not to."

Chloe's expression told her she was waiting for more of an explanation than that, so the brunette continued.

"When we first met, I was fine. It wasn't affecting me, so I didn't feel the need to say anything. And I wanted to wait until it was too late to get rid of me by the time you found out." Her voice transitioned with ease from serious to sarcastic in that moment, evoking a smile from Chloe.

"And then when I started flaring up this year, it reminded me how full-on it all is. I didn't want to make you or anyone else have to deal with it too, and I didn't know how you would react. I was … scared, I guess. You're important to me, I didn't want to ruin that by telling you something that might change the way you look at me."

Suddenly things clicked for Chloe. It was as though a lightbulb had suddenly been switched on inside her head, and she scolded herself for not realising sooner.

"Beca… Are you ashamed of this?"

The DJ's reaction told her everything she needed to know. As soon as the word 'ashamed' left Chloe's lips, Beca's head lifted up involuntarily, and her eyes were met with Chloe's momentarily before flitting away and landing on the hands in her lap. Beca's face took on an expression that was something between shock and admission. Shock at Chloe seeing right through her, and admission at the truth of the statement.

Still fidgeting with her hands, she spoke up to respond in a quiet voice. "Wouldn't you be?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Chloe moved over to sit beside Beca on the bed, wrapping her arms around the brunette in support.

"No. you have nothing to be ashamed of. You can't help it. Beca, it doesn't make you weak because you have a health condition. You shouldn't be embarrassed of it, no matter what the symptoms are." Chloe was trying her best to reassure the girl. "Remember your tattoo? You found your strength because of this. You are a fighter. Don't ever forget that."

Beca pulled back to look at Chloe properly. Her eyes shone a thousand shades of appreciation for the redhead.

"You have no idea how much that means to me. Thank you."

Chloe smiled back meaningfully, pulling her in for a big hug. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For not being there when you were sick. For not realising what was going on. I'm sorry that you have to deal with this disease. I'm sorry that it sucks."

"Chlo you know not one of those things is your fault. You couldn't help any of it. _I_ should be the one who is sorry. I kept a secret from you for so long. You have every right to be angry at me."

Both girls fell into a momentary silence after those words, but then Chloe shook her head.

"I'm not mad." Yes, it hurt to find out that Beca was keeping such a big secret from her, but the redhead couldn't find it in herself to be angry. After all, she could understand where Beca was coming from, in being scared of what would happen when people found out.

Beca was taken aback. After hiding things from the redhead for so long, she knew Chloe had every right to be angry.

"You're… not?"

"Of course not Beca. I mean, I'm upset that you've been sick for so long and had to hide it all. It makes me sad to think you've been dealing with it alone this whole time. But I'm glad I know now."

Beca nodded in agreement, glad Chloe was there for her. "Yeah, me too. I'm glad you're here."

After a moment of quiet, Chloe decided to bring up another topic that had been on both of their minds lately. Why not deal with it all at once, right?

"So uh, I ran into Tess out in the hallway."

Beca's eyes opened comically wider, dreading the possibilities of what the girl had said. "Oh no."

"Yeah," Chloe chuckled, wondering what had transpired in the short time she had been away from the room. "She told me to, and I quote, 'ask Beca out already'."

"Oh." Beca didn't know what else to say.

"I mean, obviously last time we spoke about it, you said you wanted time to sort stuff out. And now it's all out in the open. So," she paused, waiting for Beca to answer.

Beca took a long sigh, making Chloe nervous.

"You know I will always have this disease, right? Do you really want to be with someone like me? Someone who is on a ton of medication, who will be sick on and off for the rest of my life. It's a lot to deal with Chlo."

Chloe nodded seriously in response. "I know. And I want to be there for you, no matter what. We'll deal with it together. I really care about you Beca."

When Beca didn't respond, Chloe reached over to grab both her hands in her own. She could see the hesitation in the brunette's eyes, and she wanted to fix that.

She then took out a pen and piece of paper and sat back down in her chair, making Beca frown in confusion.

"Okay, tell me every reason that's stopping you from wanting to give this a go." Chloe had full confidence in her plan.

"What?! What are you doing?" Beca was befuddled.

"Just trust me. Number one," she looked up from the paper, expecting Beca's answer.

"Uhm, well I guess I don't want to be a burden on you what with being sick and all."

Chloe dutifully wrote the reason down, and then looked back up for the next reason. "Keep them coming," she urged.

Beca sighed. "Okay, uh, you would probably be grossed out by the Crohn's."

Chloe had to bite her tongue to keep herself from responding to this. She would deal with all the points at once. "Next."

Once Beca was all out of reasons, Chloe went back and gave her own perspective on each, practically invalidating them all.

"… It won't be a burden, I promise. I'm already in this with you, whether you like it or not, regardless of whether we have a friendship or something more." She crossed off the reason with a big X on the paper. "And I won't be grossed out. There's nothing gross about it, Beca. You need to learn to believe that. And we've already been over this one," she pointed to the next reason, crossing it out with another big X.

"So, unless there's anything else stopping you, Beca Mitchell will you please be my girlfriend?" Chloe asked with an adorable smile, her bright blue eyes shining in hope.

At those words, Beca felt her heart skip a beat. Unable to help herself, the brunette broke out into a grin.

"Ugh, only 'cause you're practically begging me. I guess so." Beca teased the redhead with a shrug, the grin still planted firmly on her face.

"Good!"

"But you have to promise you will tell me if all this gets to be too much for you, okay?"

"I promise. But it won't."

"I would kiss you now, but I have a tube up my nose, so I think that might ruin the mood."

"Uh uh." Chloe shook her head. "I don't care." The redhead moved to sit on the bed next to Beca. She leaned in, careful to avoid the tube, and kissed her girlfriend for the first time officially. When they pulled back, both girls smiled meaningfully at each other.

Beca took hold of Chloe's hand. "How did I get so lucky with you?" She pondered.

* * *

Eventually (after an extensive amount of time spent smiling at each other like idiots), Beca sent Chloe home to shower, freshen up and all that.

"You should sleep in your own bed, eat some real food, and take a shower! People might think you're a little too obsessed with me if you sit at my bedside all day every day." She stage-whispered that last part, a serious look on her face as she spoke.

Chloe furrowed her brows thoughtfully, playing along. "Hmm, I seem to remember _you_ being the one to ask me to stay with you."

Beca shook her head, playing clueless. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Nope, doesn't ring a bell." But she couldn't keep the smirk from showing on her face.

"Oh what have I gotten myself into?!" Chloe pondered out loud, a matching smile of playfulness on her face.

"Seriously though, get out of here. As much as I love yo…your company," Beca faltered before correcting herself. Now that they had taken a step forward in their relationship, the word 'love' had taken on new meaning. "I don't want you to be stuck in here 24/7 with me."

"What if I like being 'stuck' here with you and your company?"

"Nuh uh. I'm going to shut my eyes in a sec, and when I open them I better not see you here, okay? Go enjoy your freedom."

Chloe sighed, relenting as she watched Beca close her eyes. A shower at home did sound nice, she supposed. "Alright then. I'll be back later on. Call me –"

"- if I need anything. Yeah I got it. Bye Chlo." She kept her eyes shut and crossed her arms, waiting for the redhead to leave. But she was instead startled by the touch of Chloe's lips on her cheek, giving her a soft kiss goodbye.

Opening her eyes a moment later, Beca found Chloe to be nowhere in sight. _That was easier than expected,_ Beca thought to herself as she relaxed back on her bed. She figured it would take some convincing to get Chloe to leave her, not that she really wanted to lose the redhead's company, but she was glad Chloe had agreed without too much resistance.

When Tess eventually returned to the room, an eyebrow raised in question, Beca couldn't help but smile.

"I have a girlfriend."


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: ...Oops, those six months flew by. Life has been very busy this year, so I apologise for the delay. But I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Thank you iamacrepe for beta-ing :D**

 **And thank you for reviewing/reading/following/favouriting :)**

* * *

Sometime later that day, Beca woke up from yet another nap to find that Chloe had returned, and was back in her seat at Beca's bedside, staring intently at her own laptop screen on her lap. Unbeknownst to the DJ, she had been researching everything Crohn's for the last hour. Chloe had returned to find Beca fast asleep, and not wanting to wake the brunette, she had sat there quietly browsing the internet for useful information.

Yawning, Beca greeted Chloe with a sleepy voice. "Hey, you're back already."

Looking up from her screen, Chloe smiled back. "Hey there sleeping beauty," she said with a wink. "I see you've lost your friend there." She was pointing towards Beca's nose, where the NG tube had indeed been removed.

Beca's hand reached up to feel her nose, reminding her of the missing tube. "Oh yeah, they came and took it out while you were gone. It's good to have my nose back."

"Oh did you know there's a Crohn's version of the Cup Song on youtube? How cool is that?"

Beca shuffled up on her bed so she was sitting up properly and raised her eyebrows in amusement. "No I didn't, is there really?"

Chloe nodded animatedly. "Uh huh. You totally should have auditioned with that version instead." She giggled, passing the laptop over to Beca so the girl could watch the video. After they watched it, Chloe took the laptop back, and turned to Beca with a serious face, finding herself with more questions.

"Have you ever had any of those things she's talking about? Abscess, fistula, ostomy?" Chloe was of course referring to the lyrics of the video. Even with the small amount of research she had done, Chloe was realising just how much of Beca's disease was unknown to her.

Shaking her head, Beca replied, "No. I guess I'm lucky in that way." They both thought to Tess on the other side of the curtain, who now had an ostomy as a result of her colectomy. The girl was doing pretty well with her recovery, but it was a massive adjustment to live with. Beca and Chloe had heard some of the conversations Tess had with her nurses and doctors, and from what they could tell, there would be a lot of changes in Tess's life to accommodate her new ostomy.

"Yeah. So how about medications? Are you still on any of those ones you were talking about before? Are you on anti-inflammatories or immunomodulators or immunosuppressants or TNF-alpha inhibitors?"

 _Someone's been doing some research,_ Beca thought with a small smile at the idea of Chloe trying to better understand her disease.

She quirked an eyebrow, "I'm impressed, Chloe Beale. You've been busy on that laptop of yours."

"Well I want to know everything I can about this. I want to be well-informed."

This made Beca's heart grow 3 sizes. Chloe was doing all this for her. She was trying to understand everything she could about Beca's illness so she could be there for her and help as much as she could. And for that reason, among many others, Beca felt so lucky to have Chloe in her life.

"So?" Chloe prompted, eager for an answer to her question.

And Beca gave her just that, explaining which meds she was currently on, and what each of them did. Chloe nodded along dutifully, storing the information in her brain.

"Oh and by the way, you set Aubrey on me?" Chloe questioned in disbelief, demanding an explanation. She had arrived home to find Aubrey there, ready to force-feed her if necessary. The blonde had been given orders to make sure Chloe ate, studied, and spent some time on herself.

Though she may not have shown it, Chloe had been rather reluctant to leave Beca before. The brunette was in hospital sick, and they had only just agreed on girlfriend labels, so why should she leave Beca alone so soon? But, Chloe realised, she needed to get some clean clothes and grab a couple things. Her laptop for one: she needed to email her professors and ask for some leniency with her class attendance and assignments. And begin some research of her own about Crohn's disease.

But the one thing Chloe hadn't expected to happen when she got home was her breaking down crying in front of Aubrey.

* * *

 _When she had arrived at the Bellas' House, Chloe had immediately run into Aubrey, who was waiting in the entryway. Wanting to get back as soon as she could, Chloe attempted to excuse herself to go upstairs, but instead found herself being pulled over into the kitchen by a firm hand._

 _"_ _Aubrey, what…" She watched as the blonde pulled out a chair at the counter and pushed her into it, and began rummaging through the fridge._

 _"_ _You need to eat something. Beca texted me, and told me I have to keep you here for at least an hour and feed you."_

 _"_ _Since when do you take orders from Beca?"_

 _"_ _Since it concerns you and your wellbeing!"_

 _The redhead raised her hands in defeat. "Okay, okay. I'll stay for a bit."_

 _"_ _Good!"_

 _After a long pause, Chloe sighed, and the next words out of her mouth were spoken much more quietly, her tone much softer than before. "I'm just worried about Beca. She's going through a lot, you know?" Without warning, the tears began to flow, as Chloe thought about how much pain Beca was in that night they took her to the hospital. Now that she had a second to stop and think about it all, the redhead was overwhelmed. "And I just don't want her to be alone in it."_

 _Aubrey nodded in understanding as she set a plate of food in front of Chloe. At the sight of her best friend crying, the tall blonde was immediately at her side, rubbing her back soothingly as she handed Chloe a tissue._

 _"_ _And how are_ you _dealing with it all?"_

 _Chloe sighed, sniffling before she spoke. "I don't know, Bree. I can't believe I didn't realise sooner what was going on. What kind of friend am I?"_

 _"_ _You need to learn to forgive yourself, Chloe. It wasn't your fault."_

 _"_ _That's what Beca said. I don't know, I guess I'm just trying to process everything. I haven't really had time for that lately." She wiped her eyes dry and took a deep breath._

 _"_ _You're right. So here's the deal: you stay here, take five minutes to yourself, do whatever you need to do, and then you can go back to your… wait, what are you two to each other now? You've been spending an awful lot of time together at the hospital."_

 _Chloe broke out into a massive grin, feeling better just thinking about her answer._

 _But no words were required, as Aubrey saw exactly what Chloe's eyes were saying. "Ohh. About freakin' time! Good work Chlo!"_

 _"_ _Thanks Bree."_

 _"_ _Just promise me you will study at the hospital?"_

 _Chloe nodded obediently. "I promise."_

* * *

"Yes I did," Beca confirmed, frowning at a thought that had come to mind. "I can't believe she actually listened to me." She said it more to herself than anything, surprised. "But anyway, I wanted to make sure you were taking care of yourself as well as me. You've spent all this time worrying about me, and you haven't had any time to take care of yourself."

Chloe melted. "Naww, you are so sweet, Beca. I'm going to kiss you now."

Beca nodded, jokingly playing cool. "I'd be cool with that."

A few sweet moments later Beca smiled, speaking up. "So you're doing a great job at distracting me, but I think you should do some study. You have class tomorrow babe."

At Chloe's cheesy grin in response, Beca raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What?" Her voice sounded cautious.

Chloe pointed at Beca. "You. Just called me babe."

Beca nodded slowly. "Indeed I did. Is that okay?"

Chloe nodded coolly. "Yeah I'd be cool with that," she mimicked Beca in a serious tone.

Beca feigned shock. "You stole my line! That hurts!"

This evoked a giggle from the redhead. "Aw, maybe this will make you feel better?" She leaned in, kissing Beca once again. _Yeah, I could get used to this_.

When they pulled apart, Beca took a moment to recover, before narrowing her eyes at Chloe. "You may have gotten away with it this time, but I've got my eye on you Beale. No one steals my lines."

"Noted."

* * *

The next day had been much less exciting for the girls. Beca was still in some pain, and her regular steroid treatments were disrupting her sleep, so she was napping during the day whenever she had the time. Chloe had to leave to go to a class for which attendance was compulsory, but the rest of the day was spent cuddling with Beca. She alternated between distracting the brunette from her current situation and talking quietly with Tess whilst Beca slept.

"How was your class?"

"Oh it was useless! I had no idea what the professor was talking about. He rambled on and on, and I learnt nothing. How was Beca while I was gone?"

Tess smirked in amusement.

"What happened?"

"Your girl here got into it with the nurses. She was asleep and they came in and woke her up, and tried to get her up to go for a walk. She took one look at the walker and told them where they could shove it!"

A giggle escaped Chloe's mouth before her hand flew up to cover it. "Aw poor Bec."

"Oh it was hilarious! To be fair though, she looked exhausted when they woke her up, so I don't blame her. This is just the beginning of her steroid rage Chloe, you'd better watch out," she warned the redhead.

... ... ...

Beca was allowed to start drinking liquids that night and the following day, as Dr Griffin tried to ease her system back to normal, bit by bit. It was a small step on the road to recovery, but a step forward nonetheless. The tiny brunette rolled her eyes when Chloe cheered at the nurses arriving with her water jug.

However, it was the day _after_ that that was most anticipated: the day Beca could eat real food again, and hopefully – if it all went well – she would get to go home.

Beca was overjoyed. "You mean I can finally go home?!" She had eagerly asked the doctor.

Dr Griffin nodded, smiling at Beca's enthusiasm. It was the most emotion she had seen of the girl in her entire hospital stay. "I will give you a list of foods you should stick with for the first few days, and some you should avoid, but as long as you go okay with your first meal here, I will sign off on your discharge."

As soon as the doctors and nurses left the room, Beca turned to Chloe, smiling.

"I get to go home!"

"You get to come home!" The redhead agreed in excitement.

... ... ...

Her first meal had been a rather bland looking dish of pumpkin soup with custard for dessert. Beca eagerly picked up the spoon, and started sipping the soup slowly. She had a group of onlookers, all excited at this advancement. Jesse and Dr Mitchell had both joined Chloe and Beca that day, after hearing that she would likely be discharged. They brought the car, ready to drive her home when the time came. Beca found it strange to have the feeling of food in her stomach again, but her stomach was appreciating it.

"So, what's it like?" Jesse asked.

Beca narrowed her eyes at him. "It's like pumpkin soup. What else?"

"Oh come on Becaw! You haven't eaten in like 4 days. You gotta give me more than that!"

The response he got was a challenging look, head tilted forward and eyebrows raised. "It's like drinking Christmas," she deadpanned.

"Yep, Beca is definitely feeling better," Dr Mitchell observed with a fond smile.

... ... ...

After another check up from the nurses, Beca was instructed to sit tight for a while and see how her stomach felt after having food in it for some time. She sat there in her bed, impatiently tapping random beats on the bed with her fingers as they all made small talk. Eventually she found herself unable to keep her eyes open, as she slipped seamlessly into a light sleep as her visitors looked on.

"You know Chloe, I can't thank you enough for taking care of my daughter throughout this whole situation. She doesn't often let people in on her personal life like this, but it seems you are the exception, and she trusts you. I don't know if she speaks the words out loud, but I know Beca is very grateful to you for being here, as am I."

Chloe shook her head. "Oh it was nothing. Beca's a great friend to have. I'm just glad she let me be here for her. It's the least I could do."

Dr Mitchell tilted his head knowingly. "Friend, huh?"

Chloe was caught by surprise at this comment. "I'm sorry?"

He chuckled, and Jesse beside him smirked. "Chloe did you think I haven't noticed all the glances going on between the two of you these last few days? The way you look at Beca and the way she looks at you… well it's not platonic, that much is obvious."

Chloe smiled guiltily. They had been trying to be careful around their visitors when it came to concealing their relationship, but apparently they had not been careful enough. Beca had spoken to the redhead about it after her dad messaged to say he was coming to visit the day after their status had been made official.

 _"_ _Can we just keep it between us for now? Things are crazy at the moment, and I want to wait until I'm better before we do the 'telling the parents' thing."_

 _Chloe had squeezed her hand in support. "Of course. We'll just take it one thing at a time. But I kind of already told Aubrey…" She glanced apologetically at Beca, who waved it off._

 _"_ _It's okay, I told Tess too, so I guess that makes us even. But we should message her and Jesse so they don't let it slip to my dad."_

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you, Beca wanted to wait until this was all out of the way," Chloe motioned around her at the hospital room.

Dr Mitchell shook his head, dismissing her apology. "No, I understand. I don't blame you for not telling me. Beca and I have a strange and sometimes strained relationship, and she still doesn't tell me everything that is going on in her life at times. I understand she likes to have some privacy with her relationships, especially the important ones."

"You know Dr Mitchell, as much as she pretends not to, Beca really cares about what you think. I think it was important to her to tell you in the right way. She wanted to make sure you would be okay with it."

The man softened, smiling at the redhead gratefully. It seemed she knew his daughter better than Beca herself did.

"I appreciate that. And I say this with the utmost sincerity miss Beale, Beca couldn't have chosen a better person to be her girlfriend."

... ... ...

Half an hour later, Beca slowly returned to the world of consciousness, hearing the muffled sounds of whispering around her. Deciding that it would be interesting to listen in to what was being said without the speakers' knowledge, she kept her eyes shut and feigned sleep.

"… she'll need to take some more time off at the radio station. She won't want to be going back to studying and working immediately," her father was saying.

"It sounds to me like Beca wants to go straight back to work," Chloe's voice responded.

"Yeah, and I don't think we will be able to convince her otherwise!" Jesse joked, knowing how stubborn Beca could be.

"Maybe she could take the rest of the semester off from work, and then we can let her go back to it the next semester?" Dr Mitchell tried, worrying for his daughter's health. He didn't want her overdoing anything and pushing her body too hard.

"Good luck with that!" Jesse again, doubtful.

"Whatever she decides, we will all make sure to support her and help her to get there."

After a pause in their conversation, Dr Griffin walked in, Beca's chart in her hand. Seeing the girl 'sleeping' in her bed, the doctor glanced around at her visitors with raised eyebrows.

"And here I thought our patient wanted to get out of here today…" she pondered, to which Beca's eyes shot open, her pretend sleeping status forgotten.

"I'm awake! And ready for discharge!" She sat up properly, her eyes pleading with the doctor.

"Hmm let me see…" Dr Griffin began reading the chart of her most recent obs, and started checking all her vitals again.

As she did this, Chloe narrowed her eyes at Beca suspiciously. "How long were you awake for?"

Beca shrugged, her eyes on Chloe's as Dr Griffin moved to examine her abdomen. "Long enough." She turned to her dad and Jesse, shooting them a stern glance. "And there is no way in hell you are stopping me from going back to work at the radio station."

Jesse laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "I told you, Dr Mitchell."

The man hummed sceptically. "We'll discuss this more later."

Having finished her check-up on Beca, Dr Griffin returned to the end of her bed to write her notes in the file, glancing up at the conversation happening. "You will need to take it easy for a while Beca, and that includes work –" they all chuckled at Beca's huff of frustration. But before she could object further, Dr Griffin continued. "But. As long as you don't push yourself too much, I think it would be a good idea to start returning to your normal activities in a few days."

"Oh thank god! I'm sick of all this medical stuff."

"Just make sure you feel well enough before you do anything."

"I'll make sure she does, Dr Griffin," Chloe reassured her, ignoring the passing glare Beca was sending her.

"Okay Beca, how do you feel after eating?"

"Fine. No pain. It's weird having food in my stomach again, but I feel good." She nodded contentedly. The doctor looked to Chloe to confirm, not entirely trusting Beca's words. She knew the girl would do anything to get out of hospital sooner.

"Is she telling the truth?"

Chloe nodded. "Yep. No signs of pain or nausea," she confirmed. It hadn't taken her long to learn all of Beca's tells whilst in the hospital.

"Alright then." Dr Griffin nodded, satisfied. She pulled a document from Beca's file and signed the first page before passing it to her. "Your discharge papers. Give this one," she pointed to the top page, "to the nurses out the front. This one," she pointed to the second form on the pile, "is your prescription for the steroids. You can get that filled in the hospital pharmacy downstairs. And the rest is some information and instructions for you." She looked sternly at Beca, "follow them!"

Beca gladly took the papers from the doctor. "Thank you. I will."

After packing up all of her things and getting dressed in her own clothes again, Beca turned to Tess. Her roommate had also been eagerly waiting to be discharged from the hospital, but unfortunately she would have to wait until the next day for that to happen.

"I kind of hate you right now."

Beca shrugged. "Yeah I would hate me too if I were you."

Chloe gave the girl a sympathetic smile. "But you get to go home tomorrow, so you won't have to wait too long."

"Yeah. Anyway you better keep in touch with me. I'm coming back to Barden next semester, so I will find you if you don't!"

Beca saluted her in response. "Will do. Us Crohnie's gotta stick together, right?"

"Damn straight!"

Chloe smiled at the conversation, glad Beca had found someone who had experience in the same things as she did; someone she could relate to. From their many conversations the last few days, the girls had found out that Tess was also a student at Barden University, though she was forced to take the semester off when she got too sick. They had exchanged phone numbers, promising to keep each other updated. Tess was under strict instructions from Chloe to let them know when she was discharged.

"Now get out of here before they change their minds on letting you out!"

They laughed. "See you later Tess."

"Take care."


End file.
